Want It All
by chuffed-git
Summary: Why did she seem to captivate him with every movement she made? Why was he interested in this human? It had to be her blood. There was no other way to explain it. Unless he had gone insane. JasperxOC
1. Prologue

**Hey Guys: This is the intro to my story. It's just dialogue, that will appear later in the story again. I hope you like my story. Jasper doesn't get enough attention, and he is my favorite, so I thought I would give him some. Enjoy. PS, the title may change. If you have any suggestions along the way, just lemme know.**

**~.~.~.~.~.~.**

"_I cannot sit here, ignoring these feelings any longer."_

"_Then don't."_

"_If only it were that easy."_

"_Be with me."_

"_I don't think you understand."_

"_I don't."_

"_I can't be with you. Because of what I am."_

"_And what is that? A Cullen?"_

"_That's part of it."_

"_What's the rest of it?"_

"_How I long to tell you."_

"_Why are you being so difficult?!"_

"_I'm not trying to be."_

"_Then stop! Give me one good reason why you can't be with me."_

"_I don't want to."_

"_You don't want to give me a reason or you don't want to be with me?"_

"_Either. Or both."_

"_Could you give me a straight answer, please?"_

"_I don't think so."_

"_You are being very annoying!"_

"_All for the better."_

"_Do you want to be with me?"_

"_No."_

"_Do you mean that?"_

"_Not in the least."_

"_Ugh!"_

"_Oh, how I wish you would understand."_

"_Oh, how I wish you would give me something to help me understand."_

"_You're cheeks are the most delightful shade of pink when you're flustered."_

"_You're just teasing me now."_

"_I wouldn't dream of teasing you."_

"_Can you please be serious?"_

"_No."_

"_Why not?!"_

"_It's my defense mechanism."_

"_I don't think I can talk to you anymore."_

"_Again, all for the better."_

"_I don't think I could not talk to you."_

"_And I you."_

"_You have me hooked."_

"_Hooked? On what?"_

"_On you."_

"_Oh dear, that is terrible news, indeed."_

"_Are you teasing me again?"_

"_I wish I were."_

"_Why do you hate me so much?"_

"_We already established that I don't hate you. Quite the opposite."_

"_Then why are you doing this to me?"_

"_Ah, but you are the one tormenting and tempting me."_

"_Good."_

"_Very bad."_

"_I hate you, Jasper."_

"_I wish I could say the same about you."_

"_Goodbye, Jasper."_

"_Goodbye."_

"_I'm leaving now."_

"_That is what the term 'goodbye' implies."_

_. . ._

"_Aren't you leaving?"_

"_I can't. I can't leave you."_

"_Why not?"_

"_Because I don't want to lose you."_

"_Don't be ridiculous. You couldn't lose me if you tried. Besides, I have you hooked, remember?"_

"_You're teasing me now."_

"_I am."_

"_What are you staring at?"_

"_Your cheeks are that perfect shade of pink again. But you aren't flustered anymore, are you?"_

"_No, I'm embarrassed."_

"_I know."_

"_You seem pleased."_

"_Very."_

"_Why?! Do you like embarrassing me?"_

"_Yes, I do."_

"_Why?"_

"_Anything to see that flush on your face."_

"_You're embarrassing me again."_

"_I must go. I shall see you tomorrow."_

"_You're leaving?"_

"_Yes, and so are you. You're mother is worried sick."_

"_How do you know?"_

"_I can't tell you."_

"_Don't start."_

"_Really, you should be going."_

"_Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't do. . . Goodbye, Jasper."_

"_Goodbye."_

**~.~.~.~.~.~.**


	2. Irony

**~.~.~.~.~**

He could do this. He could definitely do this. Never mind how good they all smelled. Never mind the anxious glances his friends were giving him. Never mind the fact that he hadn't tasted the sweet blood of a human in years. And years. Long, agonizing years. He wouldn't breathe if that were what it came down to, no matter how uncomfortable it was for him. He wasn't going to hurt anyone.

He no longer had the summer to help him escape from the tempting scent of the humans' blood. When the school year had ended, he didn't have to be surrounded by them, tempted by them _all the time_.

But now summer was over.

Someone tapped on the glass of the window in the silver Volvo he sat in. "Are you coming, Jasper?" Alice said, smiling kindly at him.

Jasper nodded and, after taking another moment to compose himself, climbed out of the car. Alice smiled at him as she wrapped her arm around his waist, leading him towards the building. They followed Edward and Emmett through the doors of the school as the bell sounded, signaling that class was about to start.

"You'll be fine," Alice whispered encouragingly into his ear before disappearing in the opposite direction. Jasper nodded to himself and walked into the door at his left; his first class of the day: Calculus.

He held his breath as he searched for a seat, not daring to take a breath. There were three open desks, all side by side, in the back of the room. He walked smoothly to the one next to the window and sat down.

As the teacher, Mr. Dosee, walked into the room, Jasper chanced a small breath. Then a deeper one. For a moment, the scent of the girl in front of him captivated his senses; her blood had a tangy aroma, and would no doubt be most satisfying.

Jasper shifted in his seat and gripped the sides of his desk as he tried not to pounce on her.

And then the intensity of his appetite lessened, until it was perfectly manageable.

He stopped holding onto his desk and took another breath. This time the scent tempted him even less.

"Okay, class. Today will be papers, papers, and more papers," Mr. Dosee as he passed out a class syllabus.

Jasper smiled contentedly, paying no attention to his teacher. He could do this.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

He sat in between Emmett and Alice at the lunch table. He spun an apple on the surface of his tray and looked lazily about the room.

"So, you were okay today? Around them, I mean," Emmett asked Jasper, motioning to the cafeteria full of students. Jasper rolled his eyes. Did they think he was completely incapable of any self-control?

"I was fine," he mumbled, now paying full attention to the apple in front of him. Emmett grunted, which made Jasper think how Emmett _always_ looked when he grunted: all brawn, no brain.

Edward chuckled, and Jasper looked at him. "Too true," Edward said to him. Jasper looked away without smiling. Edward was reading his mind now? Did _no one_ trust that he had control over himself? Edward glanced at him.

"I haven't smelled one person that was truly tempting," Jasper reassured, speaking too quick for anyone else to hear him.

"Yet," Alice said, casually.

"What do you mean, Alice?" Jasper asked, slightly annoyed that now Alice didn't trust him.

"You'll see by the end of lunch."

Jasper sighed and returned to looking around the room. His head snapped to the door into the cafeteria from inside the school slammed open, and an angry looking girl walked quickly to the table at which her friends sat as she said loudly, "They messed up my entire schedule!" She shook her head, slightly amused, as she set her things down. She did not sit down, but leaned over to take an apple out of her friend, Jessica's hand. She remained standing as she took a bite and continued talking to her friends.

Jasper knew her. Or knew of her. Anouk van der Clare. He almost hadn't recognized her as she walked in, as her chocolate hair was in its natural waves instead of the stick straight style it was constantly in last year. She intrigued Jasper. She was human, he was sure, and yet she could have given Rosalie a run for her money for beauty, and she was as close as anyone, let alone a human, could get to Alice's grace. She was a dancer.

She smiled and her face glowed with happiness as she laughed. Jasper watched with is head bowed down, as he rested his arms on the table. Jasper had seen perfection in his kind quite often, but had never even heard of it in a human.

"She's not thinking about you." Jasper looked away from Anouk and turned his attention to Edward when he interrupted his thoughts. They were sitting alone at the table now; he hadn't even noticed the others leave. "Or any of us," Edward said, shrugging. "In case you were wondering."

Jasper raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't. But why would she be?"

Edward shrugged again and chuckled. "A lot of the girls here think about us."

"That's an invasion of privacy," Jasper pointed out, smiling slightly.

Edward laughed. "Like you wouldn't do it if you could." Jasper smiled and shook his head at his friend. Edward shrugged. Jasper's eyes guided themselves back to the girl as she fixed her orange headband with an annoyed expression. "She's thinking out how she can avoid helping her mom sort through pictures tonight. She is going to go to the dance studio and 'lose track of time'."

"So . . .?"

"You looked like you wanted to know."

"I didn't."

Edward looked at the can of unopened soda in his hands. "Sure," he said, obviously not believing what Jasper had said. "You're very interested in her; I know that for a fact. Not that you should be."

Jasper made a face and shook his head. "I'm not _that_ interested in her," he said. "No more than you or the others."

Edward looked intensely at Jasper, reading his mind, no doubt. Jasper didn't bother to try to hide anything. Edward took a breath and leaned back in his chair. "Okay, I believe you."

"You should learn to _trust_ people."

Edward looked at the clock. Jasper followed his gaze, glancing at Anouk as she picked up her bag and began to walk away from her friends.

"I do trust _people_," Edward said, amused. "But you're not a _person_."

"Ha, ha," Jasper said sarcastically as he threw the apple on the tray gently at Edward. Edward caught it after it hit him in the chest and glared before throwing the apple back with more force. Jasper caught it easily.

"Nice catch," Edward said, slightly sarcastically; their lightning fast reflexes could not impress each other. Edward smirked at Jasper. "We'll see who's _really_ better at catching during the next thunderstorm," he challenged.

But Jasper wasn't paying attention anymore. He took a deep breath and let the sweet smell fill his lungs. He slowly turned to face the door next to the table they sat at; it led outside. The door was open, letting in a breeze, and in the doorway picking up a book was a girl who had dropped all her things. He took another breath and smelled the sweetest blood he had ever smelled. He could almost taste it. He wanted to taste it; it would be like candy. She was so close . . . all he had to do was reach out and . . .

Realizing what was happening, Jasper quickly stopped breathing. The girl stood up slowly, and caught Jasper's gaze. She smiled slightly at him and walked out the door, letting it close behind her.

_Of course it would be her with the sweetest blood in the school_, Jasper thought angrily. He watched Anouk walk farther from the cafeteria. He was hungry.

He felt a firm hand on his shoulder. He slowly looked over his shoulder at Edward, who was standing behind him now with a focused stare. "Let's go into the forest . . ." he said hesitantly and quietly. "Get this sudden _urge_ taken care of."

"Can't it wait until after school?" Jasper said absentmindedly as he turned to look in the direction Anouk had walked.

Edward also looked in that direction, not that Jasper noticed. "No. Now."

Jasper sighed and stood up. Edward led him out of the cafeteria and to the parking lot, Jasper occasionally glancing back in the direction of Anouk. Alice was waiting for them in front of the Volvo. She smiled at them.

"Ready for lunch? I'm starving."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

They all stood around the car, looking in opposite directions. Jasper felt better today; more confident that he wouldn't feel as tempted as yesterday, especially since he fed yesterday. Even as the students passed now he felt fine.

"We're going to class," Rosalie said as she and Emmett said as they walked towards the school.

"We should, too," Edward said once they had walked away. Alice nodded.

"I was late yesterday," she said. She smiled at Jasper. "Coming?"

Jasper looked at his pale reflection in the car window. He could do this. "No," he said to Alice as he turned to her. "Not quite yet."

Edward looked at him with a clenched jaw. Alice smiled at him. "It's fine, Edward." She linked arms with Edward and, with a wave to Jasper, hopped away to the school.

Jasper leaned against the car, making sure he was completely ready for today. Yesterday, when he saw Anouk, he was so close to . . . well, he didn't even want to think about it. Now he breathed easily while all the students walked through the parking lot, on their way to class. He waited until it was almost empty before he moved from his spot. He slowly made his way through the parking lot. He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jacket as he walked, looking at the sky. Alice said the weather would be nice this weekend, but it certainly didn't look like that was going to happen. He knew better than to doubt her, though.

He collided with something, sending whatever it was tumbling to the ground, papers flying everywhere. Jasper instantly became guarded, a reflex now when he was around people. "Oh, shoot!" he heard the thing, obviously a person, say.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Jasper said as he bent down to help pick up the papers. He breathed in as he bent down, catching the faint scent of sweetness. He slowly looked up at whom he had knocked down, and immediately held his breath.

_This cannot be happening, _he thought.

"You shouldn't be sorry," Anouk said, her nose slightly pink from the cold as she picked up the papers, smiling. "I wasn't watching where I was walking."

"Nor was I," he said, handing her the papers he had collected. She smiled.

"Well, it looks like we'll just have to share the blame," she said smiling as they stood. She either didn't notice or wasn't bothered by Jasper's pained expression; Jasper couldn't tell. He was too busy trying not to breathe. "Thanks," she said as she took the papers in his hand.

He nodded once. She smiled. The wind blew against her, making her hair blow out away from her face. Jasper breathed quickly before the wind stopped.

"I'm Anouk," she said suddenly, not moving from the spot. Jasper nodded.

"I know." She gave him a suspicious look, but was smiling nonetheless. The final bell rang for class to begin. She nearly dropped her things again as she quickly looked at the small watch she was wearing.

"Oh!" she gasped. She took a few steps back. "I'll see you around, Jasper!" She turned around and began walking quickly into the school, struggling to keep her folder and papers from flying away.

Jasper took a few deep breaths before following her into the school.

Odd, she knew who he was. That shocked Jasper, considering she had never acknowledged his existence before. Jasper shook his head to himself. _But of course_ everyone _knows who the Cullen's are_, Jasper thought sarcastically as he took his seat in the back of his class and looked out the window. _No matter how hard we try to blend in._

Mr. Dosee walked in the classroom then, greeting the class with a nod. He set his papers down and walked back to the door. "First, and only, rule of my class: as soon as I shut this door it's closed until the bell rings for the end of class. So no going to the bathroom, no getting a drink of water, and, most importantly, no tardies."

He took the stopper out from under the door, and it slowly began to shut. "Now, we're all going to get to know each other a little better. Everyone will stand and say their name and—"

He was cut off as someone quickly slid through the closing door just before it shut completely.

"Ms. van der Clare," Mr. Dosee said, amused. Jasper immediately looked away from the window at Anouk standing at the front of the class, out of breath, cheeks rosy from running. "You should know better than anyone not to be late in this class, seeing as you had me last year for Trig."

She grinned sheepishly and handed him her schedule. "I've just been added into the class," she explained.

He glanced at the schedule before handing it back. "That you have. . ." he said as he searched the classroom. His eyes landed on the two empty desks in the back. "Well, you have a choice. You can either sit next to Ms. Redfield," he motioned to a short blonde girl who sat two empty seats away from Jasper, "or you can sit next to Mr. Cullen."

Jasper closed his eyes and exhaled, annoyed. Just his luck. He is being unintentionally stalked by the girl with the most tempting blood in the school.

When he opened his eyes, there was Anouk, hesitantly watching Jasper as she sat down in the seat next to him.

"I'm sorry if you don't want me to sit by you . . ." she whispered, slightly amused as Mr. Dosee continued talking. Jasper felt her confusion as she looked at him. "But Madison Redfield has hated me since the fourth grade."

Jasper didn't respond immediately. "I don't not want you to sit by me," he said quietly and emotionlessly before returning his gaze to the view out the window, not breathing again.

"Looks like I'll be seeing you around more than I thought," she said, happily, though Jasper knew she wasn't really. She was still confused about his standoffish attitude. He was glad that she wasn't offended or angry, though. He didn't want her to _not like_ him.

_Let's see how angry she is at you when you try to feed on her blood,_ he thought darkly to himself.

Though he looked calm and disinterested, Jasper panicked internally. How was he supposed to make it through the year without attacking anyone if _she_ sat next to him?

He looked to the front of the class. He had to try. Maybe having her close would help him learn to better resist his lust for blood. It was dangerous, but he had to try.

Jasper sighed quietly. _This is going to be a long year. _

**~.~.~.~.~**

**Hey! So here is chapter one. I know, I know. Jasper is a little more . . . morose and closed off in this chapter than in the previous one. But that will change as the story goes on. Oh. Comment? I like feedback. Good feedback to encourage me, and constructive criticism to help me improve :) So, please gimme something to work with! What would you like to see happen? What are your predictions? What do you like, what don't you like? Questions, comments, concerns? You get it. Hoped you liked.**


	3. Interest

**~.~.~.~.~**

A week later, six normal high school girls sat at a table, sharing their lunches with each other, laughing and joking. A small dark-haired girl took a picture with her camera while her friend stuffed her face with French fries. She laughed as she showed it to another dark-haired girl next to her.

"What are we doing this weekend?" a redhead, Allison, said.

"I don't know. Are we all doing something together, or does someone have a date?" Hallie, a glamorously dressed blonde said. Five of the girls went silent, looking to the dark brown-haired girl sitting at the end of the table, paying no attention to the conversation. Or pretending not to.

She looked up from the book she was reading and at the surrounding girls. "What?" she asked, shifting uncomfortably.

"Got a date this weekend?" Jessica asked from her right.

"No, look's like the guys aren't interested in me anymore," she said shrugging. The girl's looked at her in shock. Several of their mouths hung open.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding," Hallie laughed, still shocked.

"Yeah, Anouk, you could have any guy here with the snap of your finger!" Jessica exclaimed. She leaned forward, speaking more quiet. "I bet you could even get one of the Cullen boys to ask you out."

Anouk snorted and took a bite of her apple. "That's ridiculous. Besides, who says I want to date anyone?"

Jessica shook her head and dropped the subject. Any one of these girls would kill to look like Anouk, but she didn't pay much attention. She just went about her days, politely turning down the guys that had worked up enough courage to ask her out. In fact, most of the male population of the school knew she was off limits. It suited her just fine.

"What math are you taking?" Georgina asked Anouk as she flipped her black hair behind her shoulder. She was almost as pretty as Anouk. Almost. They both went to the same dance studio, and had similar interests. Though Georgina would never admit it, she was jealous of Anouk, and did everything Anouk did, so that maybe she could be just like her.

"Calculus," Anouk said. "Why?"

"I thought that was a senior class?" Georgina said leaning forward. "Are there any other juniors in that class?"

"Yeah," Anouk said, shrugging. She had always been in an advanced math class. "Madison Redfield, and Jasper Cullen."

"Speaking of whom, why Jasper Hale-Cullen staring at you?" Lauren blurted out at Anouk.

Anouk didn't look up from her tray as she took a bite of food. "I think he goes by Cullen. Not Hale-Cullen."

"Whatever," Lauren said. "Why is he staring at you?"

As Anouk had predicted, every girl at the table turned to see if what Lauren said was true. Anouk sighed and glanced over to the Cullen table, but returned to her meal seconds later. She could care less if he was staring at her. She was getting very sick of him; he was so cold and distant whenever she tried to talk to him.

"So . . .?" Jessica prodded.

"What?" Anouk asked.

"Why is he staring at you?" several of the girls said at once. Anouk looked at Jasper again. He was indeed staring at her, but quickly looked down as she looked over.

Anouk turned back to her friends and shrugged. "I don't know. He's weird. I sit next to him in Calc."

"And does he stare then, too?" Jessica said asked, grinning.

Anouk shook her head. "I don't think he likes me very much. Whenever I am around him, he get's all stiff."

"Oh, I think all guys get stiff sitting next to you," Lauren muttered to Allison. Anouk gasped and laughed, astounded. She threw a grape at Lauren.

"Gross, Lauren."

"You know it's true!" Lauren sang. They all laughed. Anouk rolled her eyes.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"I'm asking Carlisle if I can drop out of school."

There were different reactions from everyone as Jasper said this. Alice was smirking. Emmett's mouth was hanging slightly open. Rosalie looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and Edward had dropped the keys to the Volvo as had been trying to lock the door as he said it.

"What are you talking about, Jasper?" Emmett said, shaking his head.

"It's because of that girl," Edward said.

"What girl?" Emmett and Rosalie asked looking from Edward to Jasper, though they were clearly asking Edward for the answer.

"The girl from school, in his Calculus class."

"Anouk van der Clare," Alice piped in.

"She's the best looking human I've ever seen. Except maybe for Eva Mendes . . ." Emmett said. Rosalie glared and slapped his shoulder forcefully. "Just kidding . . ."

"Yeah, right," Rosalie said, still glaring. "Wait, so what about her?"

"She's got a hot body," Emmett teased Rosalie. Rosalie tried to glare but smiled instead as she entwined her hand with his.

"And Jasper likes this girl, Edward?" she asked him.

"He likes her blood," Alice said, nodding.

"It's the sweetest smelling blood in the school," Edward said. "According to Jasper."

"Wow," Emmett said, smirking. "Funny how she just happens to sit right next to him."

Jasper pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes, sighing.

"You can't give up. You have to try Jasper," Alice said, putting a hand on his shoulder as he was finally acknowledged. "I know you can do it."

"I did try, Alice." They walked into their house, going straight to the living room and sitting on the couches clean, white couches. "And I have decided that I can't do it. Today I felt like I was just going to. . ." he trailed off, not wanting to alarm the others. "It's safer for _everyone_ if I just stayed away from humans."

"And what, stay locked up in this house all day?" Emmett asked, amazed. "There will be humans everywhere you go. And the longer you are away from them, the harder it will be for you to control yourself around them."

Jasper stood and began walking out of the room, not looking at anyone's face. "I'll just lock myself in my room, then." He said as he stomped up the stairs. He walked into his room, slamming the door behind him, but it made no sound as it closed. He spun around. Alice had caught the door, and was now smiling at him as she came into his room, and sat on his couch.

"We'll help you," she said, smiling.

"No, Alice," he said, sifting through the books on his shelf instead of looking at her. "It's obvious I can't be helped. I've been with this family for how many years now? And I still can't control myself."

"It takes time," she said softly. "You've improved so much, Jazz."

"No, I haven't!" Jasper said a little louder, and a little more frantically as he spun to face her. "Most of the time I just hold my breath!" He turned away again, ashamed. "Face it, Alice, I'm just a liability to this family, to this town. I'm dangerous."

Alice's hand was on his shoulder then. She squeezed it gently. "You've got to have some faith in yourself, you know."

Jasper let out an amused breath. "Faith, right."

Alice sighed and let her hand slip from his shoulder. "Well, _I _have faith in you. So do the others. Know that." She gracefully walked out of his room, closing the door without a sound.

He sat in his room, watching the wind blow in the trees outside his window for about an hour. He knew he couldn't drop out of school, and even if he did, Emmett was right. The longer he was away from humans, the harder it would be to control himself.

_The others just don't understand how horrible it feels to not be able to control yourself. _

But he was going to try. He had to. For his family's sake.

He reluctantly went to the school the next morning. He went straight to class when they arrived. He wasn't the first one in class, but it was nearly half empty. He silently sat in his seat.

The girl in front of him was wearing a lot of perfume, which made Jasper feel a little more at ease; maybe it would drown out the smell of blood. Maybe. She wasn't there yet. Which was fine with Jasper; he could prepare himself for her arrival.

As if on cue, she walked through the door and down the aisle to her seat, putting one black boot in front of the other as her grey skirt swayed side to side. Jasper was excited to see that almost every inch of her body covered; thick leggings, and a long jacket over her sweater in addition to the perfume made her scent less noticeable than usual. But he could still smell it.

She set her bag down, but did not sit. Jasper panicked with every step as she walked closer to him. Barely glancing at him, she walked in between his desk and the one in front of him, grabbing the latch of the window and twisting it so it was unlocked. She leaned forward as far as she could, putting her left leg up slightly to reach farther, and opened the window as far as it could.

"What are you doing?!" Jasper said angrily, and somewhat frantically as the breeze blew past her, carrying her scent straight to his face. Jasper inhaled it deeply and leaned forward a little onto his desk, gripping the sides tightly. She leaned back inside with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm opening the window," she said, unsmiling and annoyed. She had finally come around earlier in the week, and responded appropriately to Jasper's behavior. She mostly ignored him now, but Jasper still felt her annoyance.

"No! Keep it closed!" he said quickly as he reached to close the window. She blocked his way. Jasper stopped his hand immediately before he touched her.

"Are you out of your mind? It's stuffy and stifling in here!" she pointed out angrily.

"But it's cold outside, and the wind is blowing." Jasper reached passed her (tensing as he nearly touched her) and closed the window.

"But without the window open, the air won't circulate and the room will get too hot," she explained, opening the window again, and then crossing her arms across her chest defensively. "And Madison Redfield is very intolerant of heat; she breaks out in hives."

"I'll catch a cold," Jasper said reasonably, shutting the window.

"I'll smother in the stuffy air."

"The wind will make it hard to hear."

"It'll be an oven in here once the heater really kicks in."

"Something will blow into my eye."

She opened her mouth to retort, but quickly closed it. She was amused at the conversation they were having, and she smiled though she wasn't happy. "Fine. The window stays closed."

"Thank you," Jasper sighed, sitting in his seat. She sat down in hers.

"Yup," she said, crossing her legs facing the opposite direction of him, almost turning her back to him.

For the entire class, Jasper felt her annoyance and anger toward him in waves. She glared at him once, even. Jasper didn't like that one bit. Though she was human, and he avoided her at all costs, he wanted her to like him. At least for her to be amiable towards him.

When the bell rang she hurriedly shoved her folder into her bag, dropping her pen on the ground. Jasper picked it up. He set it on her desk. She grabbed it quickly and stood up.

"Have I offended you in any way?" Jasper asked her, surprised at even himself for asking the question.

She faced him. "I could be asking you the same thing. You are cold to me for the whole week, no matter how nice I am to you, and when you do speak to me it's to argue about a window. I don't get it. I never did anything to make you angry, did I?" She didn't _look_ angry, but curious. She shook her head at him.

Jasper sighed. He was definitely going about the whole 'don't act weird around people' thing all wrong. "I apologize. You've done nothing wrong."

"Then why?"

"I . . . don't know."

She cocked her head to the side, looking at him curiously. "You're weird." She said it like it was a fact, not an insult.

"I'm . . . sorry?" Jasper said, not quite knowing how to respond to that.

She smiled and laughed a little. "See you later," she laughed as she walked away from him and out of the classroom.

Jasper took a few breaths. She was alive, right? He hadn't done anything harmful, had he? He grunted to himself. Maybe he could do this.

Through all of his classes, Jasper was feeling more and more confident that he could make it through the year, but he still wasn't convinced. Sure, he could talk to Anouk without attacking her, but maybe he was just having a good day. Although, he was surprised how well he coped when she was standing in the window. . .

Before he knew it, Jasper was sitting at his usual table at lunch, next to Edward. He was staring at Anouk without knowing it, watching her listen to her friends' conversations with little expression. He wondered why she wasn't really involved with the conversations, or even really listening; it was easy to see that something else was on her mind.

"She's thinking about how she is going to survive school next week."

Jasper turned his attention away from Anouk and towards Edward. "So . . .?"

"You looked like you wanted to know, again."

"I didn't, again."

Edward smirked at Jasper and leaned away from him. "You shouldn't lie to people who can read your mind."

Jasper rolled his eyes. Edward needed to stop invading his privacy. It was _his_ mind; he should be able to have private thoughts. "You shouldn't talk about that here. Someone could hear you," Jasper said, nodding his head to Edward.

Edward scoffed. "No one's listening." Jasper looked away from Edward and, careful not to look at Anouk again, watched people walk in and out of the cafeteria. "Don't you want to know why she is thinking that?" Edward pressed.

"I don't know, you tell me," Jasper said, not looking at Edward. Edward inhaled, but did not speak. Jasper watched a girl nearly trip as he waited for Edward to say something. When he didn't Jasper turned towards him. "Well, aren't you going to tell me?"

Edward's eyebrows pulled together. "It's something that I don't think I should tell you . . . it's private."

Jasper laughed. "And that bothers you now?" Jasper shook his head at Edward, amused, but did not press him. He turned his attention back to her as she tried to look like she was paying attention to a girl named Jessica. Jasper focused in on her emotions. He was surprised to feel a mixture of sadness and anger in her so he focused even more, trying to make her a little more calm and content, but she seemed to be too far away for it to have much of an effect on her.

She looked over at him curiously then, and gave a look that asked why he was staring at her. He didn't look away immediately, and they stared at each other for a few seconds. She smiled awkwardly at him, obviously not knowing what else to do.

"Now she is wondering why you are—"

"I know," Jasper said looking away and smiling at Edward. "I know."

"Why don't you go talk to her?" Alice suggested in a sweet voice.

Jasper chuckled and turned to Alice. "Would you like this to turn into a bloody feeding frenzy?"

Alice giggled. "Good point." She walked so she stood behind him. She wrapped her arms around him and whispered, "I told you that you could do it."

"Well, let's see how the rest of the week goes," Jasper told her back. She grinned and swiftly kissed his cheek before skipping away.

He looked back over at the table Anouk sat at. She was picking at her food unsmiling. She turned to him and again they did not look away from each other. He concentrated on her, trying to make her feel less troubled. He saw her face relax a little, though she did not look away. Neither did he. She slowly let her head cock to the side as she watched him. He looked at her unblinkingly.

Her friend tapped her on the shoulder, trying to get her attention. She shook her head and looked away. Jasper looked down at the table as he folded his pale hands together in front of him. He glanced at her without looking up completely, and was surprised to find that he was disappointed that she wasn't looking at him anymore.

Jasper took a breath. Maybe it wasn't that he wanted her blood that made it so dangerous for him to be around her. Maybe he wanted her. Maybe. . .

"That's a bad idea." Jasper looked at Edward as he spoke.

"Stop that," Jasper said, standing. "It's very irritating." He took his tray of untouched food and dumped it into the trashcan as he walked across the room. Anouk and he made eye contact briefly as he walked out of the cafeteria.

Edward was right. That was a _very_ bad idea . . . but he wasn't sure if he could help thinking about it . . .

**~.~.~.~.~**

**Hi, um. Yeah. I hate this chapter. But I had to have it so that the future ones don't seem so abrupt. I promise you, the next chapter will be better, and then after the next chapter will be good chapters. I promise that none will be as retardo as this one is. I swear. And BTW I know the time is passing very fast. It will slow down after next chapter I think :) So stay with me, please!!!**

**Oh, and comment. Please. I want to hear what you have to say so I can avoid chapters I hate like this.**


	4. Too Much to Handle

**~.~.~.~.~**

Jasper watched her shut the door of her old car as Alice rambled on about nothing to him. She sighed and opened the door again, only to close it with more force, as Hallie Fredlen walked over to her. Jasper watched her stroll through the parking lot and disappear through the school doors.

If only he could talk to her without worrying about hurting her.

"Jasper," Alice said happily. "What is it about that girl? She's got you under her spell." She gasped, feigning shock. "Maybe she's a witch!"

Jasper smirked slightly and leaned against the Volvo, folding his arms across his chest. "I'm under no one's spell, Alice."

Alice sighed. "Sure you aren't," she said sarcastically. "That's why you have been listening to intently to what I have been saying."

He stood up from the car and began walking slowly alongside Alice to the school, where he became tenser. He shrugged, hoping to mislead Alice. "She smells good."

She rolled her eyes. "Maybe she does, but I think it's more than that . . ." So much for the misleading plan.

Jasper growled silently to himself; it was utterly and completely ridiculous for him to feel anything besides hunger toward a _human_. Anything else just makes things complicated. Besides, it was not possible for a human and a vampire to associate. Not like that, anyway. It would end badly. Very badly. Especially with someone with blood at sweet at hers smelled . . .

"She's human," Jasper said quietly, as if that gave him a reason why Alice's assumptions were wrong.

"I don't think that matters." Jasper looked at her skeptically as she bounced happily and gracefully beside him. She made a face, agreeing with Jasper's skeptical expression. "Well, not in this case, at least! I think it's cute."

Jasper rolled his eyes. "Yeah, really cute. Adorable," he said sarcastically. She smiled brightly and parted ways with Jasper. When she left, he tensed even more; no one would be able to hold him back should he become overwhelmed with the smell of the blood pumping through the veins of his classmates. He walked into his Calculus class, which was moderately full. As he walked to his desk, he noticed Anouk leaning out the window. She saw him, and quickly leaned back in and closed it tightly before turning to walk to her seat.

"Why did you . . .?" Jasper asked quietly before she sat down.

"You like the window closed, don't you?" She smirked at him and plopped into her seat. He slowly sat down in his, confused. He turned to look at her but she was busy doodling on the edge of her homework, tapping her foot to song she was singing in her head.

Mr. Dosee soon called the class to attention, but Jasper, who was trying to keep himself rigid and tense to control himself (though he found that not being relaxed around her was difficult) continued to look at Anouk. "Do you enjoy it?" he asked her quietly.

She slowly looked over at him. "Reviewing logarithms?" she asked glancing quickly at the board.

"No, the weather. The cold," Jasper corrected.

She looked out the window for a moment and smiled slightly. "You don't really have a choice when you live in Forks, do you?" Jasper smiled, tensely.

"Ms. van der Clare, Mr. Cullen," Mr. Dosee said sternly. "Please?"

"Sorry," Anouk said, and faced forward. Jasper did too, but he couldn't help but glance over at Anouk as she continued to doodle. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, but did not turn fully to look at him. And so continued the rest of the class. Jasper would look over at her, and she would pretend not to notice. Once, he had looked over at the wrong time; she was looking out the window. Catching his gaze full on she raised an eyebrow and smiled, not knowing what else to do. She didn't look in that direction again.

Towards the middle of class, as Mr. Dosee was going over the homework from the previous night, Jasper chanced another glimpse at Anouk. She pursed her lips and Jasper tensed more than he already was.

"Are you going to stare at me for the rest of class?" she said, not turning to look at him until she finished speaking. Jasper would've blushed if he could, he had no doubt. But she didn't seem angry, or peeved. She was smiling and shaking her head slightly in amusement. "It makes me self conscious."

Jasper smiled tightly and shook his head, embarrassed. He tried to get through all the different emotions in the room, frustrated, confused, stressed, to figure out how she was really feeling; he had learned by now that she smiles when she is angry or vexed. He felt of tinge of annoyance from her, when he realized he must have been staring in order to focus on her feelings. He quickly shook himself away from his concentration on her, and tried to focus on the lesson, even though he had learned it many times.

The bell eventually rang and the students gathered up their things to leave the room. Jasper slowly put his things away and watched Anouk glide toward the door. She paused in the doorway and looked over her shoulder at him. Her lips pulled upwards briefly before she slipped out.

-.-.-.-.-.-

Why?

That was what was going through Jasper's head all day. At school, during lunch, in the car, when he walked through the doors to his home, and now in his room. He was still tense, as if she was there and he might attack her at any second.

Why, of all people, did the girl with the sweetest smelling blood in the school sit next to him? Why was she smiling at him from over her shoulder? Why was she so graceful and beautiful? Why did he care?

Jasper sighed as he lay down across his black couch, and wiped his face with his hands.

Why did she seem to captivate him with every movement she made? Why was he interested in this human? It had to be her blood. There was no other way to explain it. Unless he had gone insane.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe he _was_ insane . . .

He let out an exasperated breath and angrily stood up. He couldn't sit still, which was unusual for him. He walked out of his room and down the stairs. He silently walked into the living room but stopped before he entered the kitchen, where he heard everyone talking.

"How did school go today?" Carlisle asked.

"No one knows our secret, so I would say it was well," Rosalie said. Jasper heard her sit on the counter.

"And how was he?" Esme asked in a softer tone, though she knew it would make no difference how quiet she talked. Vampires had extremely good hearing.

"He was fine." That was Alice, speaking defensively about Jasper.

"I don't know, Alice . . ." Emmett's deep voice interjected. "I'm sort of concerned."

"What?" Esme said, sharply. "Why?"

Alice sighed, no doubt glaring at Emmett. "He has been rather intrigued by a girl . . ."

"Oh . . ." Esme said in a worried tone. Jasper fumed. To talk about him when he wasn't there was one thing, but to be so concerned and have such little confidence in his ability to control himself was insulting. True, sometimes he doubted that ability himself, but that didn't mean _they_ should, especially when they pretended they believed in him!

"She's sweet."

"You know her well?" Carlisle asked curiously.

"No." Alice paused. "She smells sweet."

"Like dessert," Emmett added. Jasper felt everyone tense as they all went silent. He wondered if Carlisle _would_ agree to let him drop out of school. It's not as if he needed it. And by the direction this conversation seemed to be going, and the tense silence that followed Emmett's comment, it wouldn't surprise him if Carlisle _made_ him quit school.

"This is serious," Esme said softly. "What should we do?"

Alice scoffed. Jasper noticed she wasn't in her usual happy attitude, and was slightly angry. "I don't think we need to do anything," she said as she moved across the room.

Edward made a noise. "And let him get closer to her? Let him destroy the family? Really, Alice? He wants her blood," Edward exclaimed exasperatedly as anger reverberated off of him. Jasper could hardly bare the heavy amounts of stress in the room.

Jasper contemplated leaving his stationary spot in the living room. Either to his bedroom where he wouldn't have to feel all of the building tension between his family, or into the kitchen so he could calm them down.

"But he also wants to be around her for other reasons, Edward. It's not all about the blood," Alice said, calmly, though she was anything but. She was also stressed, but Jasper was sure that she was more worried about convincing the others that he was fine than she was about him slipping up.

"He won't be able to control himself," Rosalie interjected, matter-of-factly.

Alice let out a few breaths, angrily. "I can't believe what I am hearing!" she said quietly but sharply. "Jasper is having a hard enough time as it is! He doesn't need us to be constantly worrying about him slipping up. He needs us to have a little faith in him, so that maybe he will have some confidence in himself. If he thinks we don't think he can do it, why would he even try?" Alice was very angry now. Jasper was having a hard time picturi ng her small, happy face with an angry scowl, though he appreciated that she was standing up for him. "He won't hurt her."

"Alice, your visions can change . . ." Edward pointed out doubtfully.

"I'm not saying it because I had a vision. I'm saying it because I think he will be able to control himself enough around her. She interests him too much for him to hurt her," Alice said confidently. "I can see it in his face."

"Alice," Carlisle said calmly, though Jasper felt the stress emanating from him as well, "We all know Jasper has the hardest time controlling his . . . hunger . . ."

"Not you, too, Carlisle," Alice whined. "I thought at least you would be on my side."

The tension between everyone was getting too strong for Jasper to handle. He closed his eyes for a moment, before making his decision and walking into the kitchen. The tension immediately disappeared, though the family still looked worriedly from face to face; they knew he heard.

He walked passed them and opened the cupboard. "I'm not going to attack her, and I'm not interested in her," he lied quietly as he reached for a glass. He walked to the sink to fill it with water. "Yes, her blood is sweet, but it's nothing I can't handle." He turned off the tap and turned towards his family. "I don't need anyone to believe in me, because _I _know I won't hurt anyone, but I would appreciate it if, Edward, you stopped reading my mind to see if I am going to attack someone; Alice, you don't look into the future to see if I expose our secret; and the rest of you, you don't talk about me on this subject anymore. Okay?"

They watched him guiltily as he walked out of the room with the cup of water, and listened as he shut his door calmly. He poured the glass of water into a pot that held a small plant on the corner table. He set the empty glass down next to it and sighed.

He knew almost everything he told them was a lie. He was starting to feel things he shouldn't towards her. Her blood was too sweet for him to handle, for long anyway. And he didn't think he could do it.

As Jasper thought the words, every feeling he had towards her intensified. Because he wanted what he couldn't have.

But it wasn't as if he could just ignore her. She did interest him too much, as Alice had said. But what could he do? He was too afraid to get close to her, to anyone, but he wanted to be around her. He wanted to suck all the sweet blood out of her, and also to walk with her, arms linked. He couldn't have it either way; either he would slip up in his diet, killing her and exposing the family, or he would attack her if they were ever together alone, killing her and exposing the family. It was a lose-lose situation. No matter what the circumstance, everything he and his family strived to do would be ruined.

But he knew he couldn't ignore her. And if he had to, he would watch her from afar for the rest of her life.

Surprised by his intensified emotions, Jasper quickly shook his head and rushed out of his room, and through the front door. Some hunting would help him to forget about it. He didn't know what was going on his head, or why he was doing this to himself, but he did know that it was truly unethical and sick. He had to put an end to this. But he wasn't sure if he wanted to, or could.

**~.~.~.~.~**

**Okay guys. I like the next chapter. So stay with me! :) Thanks to everyone who reviewed! It encourages me to write well. So keep 'em comin. Also, I just thought I'd say this: I love Jasper! He's the best! Aw, what a cutie. Okay. Just had to get that out there. **

**Questions about anything? Comments? Concerns? You know what to do.**

**P.S. I'm already ¾ done with the next chapter ! Woo!**


	5. Of All The Days

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The week passed faster than Anouk would have liked. It was now the next Monday, and she was sure it was going to be her unlucky day again, for the third year running.

It was raining, as usual. But today, it seemed to match Anouk's mood perfectly. She looked at herself in the reflection of the mirror; she had woken up early today, and had taken extra care to look her best today. Her dark hair was down, in its natural waves; the orange headband she wore in it contrasted beautifully. Her thick, dark leggings elongated her legs even though she was wearing grey knee socks over them. Her grey sweater fit her perfectly, and matched perfectly with her skirt. She checked her watch and sighed. Her mother would be making breakfast now.

She walked out the bathroom and down the stairs while pulling on her black coat. The one she'd worn for two years. The lining inside was ripping, and the pockets had holes in them, but on the outside it looked impeccable. "Morning, Mom," she said quietly as she sat down at the table. Her mother had obviously not gotten any sleep; she never did before this day. Her eyes were red from tears.

"Good morning, Nookie." Her mother kissed her on the top of the head and sighed. She set a plate of eggs on the table in front of her. Anouk picked at them with her fork, but did not take a bite. "I think you should stay home today."

"Mom," Anouk whined. "Not this again. I'm going to school."

"I'm worried about you," her mother said. "You are always so sad on this day. Maybe we could go to the city, and get you a new coat."

Anouk didn't look at her mother. She pushed her plate forward and replaced it with a book. She opened it and began to read.

"Anouk?" her mother said, trying to coax a response out of her.

"I don't want a new coat."

"It's getting so old—"

"Dad gave me this coat." Anouk didn't look up from her book, but her mother knew she wasn't reading. Anouk sighed and looked at her mother. "I'm going to school now."

"Anouk, please stay," her mother pleaded gently. Anouk had a feeling that her mom wasn't asking her to stay for Anouk's sake, but for her own. She didn't want to be alone. But Anouk was already putting on her boots by the door.

"Bye, Mom!" she called pleasantly in spite of herself. She walked into the rain and over to her car. It was old; the key always got stuck in the lock, and it took a little extra effort to get the car started, but it hadn't failed her yet. She jammed the key into the ignition and turned it. "Come on. Start," she mumbled as she tried to get the car running a couple times. "Come on, come on, come on . . . Yes!"

She pulled out of the driveway and drove to school as fast as her little car would let her. When she pulled into a parking spot at school, she sat in her car for a few minutes before taking a breath and opening the door.

"Hi, Anouk," Georgina said sympathetically. Anouk nodded to her friend as Georgina put her arm around Anouk's waist and began pulling her towards the school.

"See you at lunch," Anouk said softly as they separated and she walked into her calculus class. She wasn't as early as she thought; nearly the entire class was full. She walked swiftly to her seat in the back.

Jasper was the last person into the classroom and he gracefully walked to his seat. Mr. Dosee walked in and shut the door. He began his lecture as Jasper doodled on his notebook.

He looked up slowly as he sensed an overwhelming amount of sadness. He looked at Anouk. She pretended not to notice as she looked down at her paper.

What could cause her to be so sad suddenly? Jasper remembered what Edward had said about what she was thinking last week. About how she was going to get through this week. Jasper wanted so bad to know why now; he regretted not asking Edward before.

He tried to make her feel a little more at ease, but it didn't seem to be working much. Perhaps if he just touched her shoulder. . .

Jasper stopped himself before he reached over. _That_ was a bad idea. She looked at him with a raised eyebrow, then turned in her seat so she wasn't facing him. Jasper sighed and looked away.

The rest of the day passed slowly for Anouk. She failed a test, and got in trouble for not paying attention in almost every class. Someone broke the strap of her bag, and she lost all her papers for English; in which they were oh so conveniently studying Emily Dickinson, the poet who loved to write about death.

Lunch was infuriating. To say the least.

He had no reason to do it. To stare at her so frequently that she felt like she couldn't breath without being noticed. It made her uncomfortable, and irritated. And yet, like he had been doing for the past two weeks, Jasper Hale . . . Cullen . . . whatever he went by was staring at her as she didn't eat her lunch.

"Anouk . . ." Jessica said smiling. "He's staring at you agai—"

"I know," Anouk snapped. Several of the girls began to turn around to see for themselves. "Don't look," Anouk hissed. They slowly turned back around and looked at each other with worried glances.

"How's your day been, Nook?" Hallie asked sweetly.

"Fine," she responded flatly, not looking at Hallie's face. They sat in silence for five minutes, not knowing how to respond to Anouk's coldness. Anouk glanced to the Cullen table. "Is he_ still_ staring at me?!" she whispered angrily, finally looking at her friends' faces.

Jessica, who was sitting on the side of the table that faced the Cullens, looked up. "Yeah."

Anouk exhaled angrily. "This is ridiculous!" She stood up and grabbed her bag.

"Where are you going?" Georgina asked, confused.

"He can't keep staring at me! It's annoying." Anouk huffed and walked quickly over the Cullen table. No one was watching her as she approached, not even Jasper, who was conveniently looking out the window facing opposite of her. Several of the Cullens turned to her as she approached the table.

"Incoming," Edward muttered to Jasper, nudging him. Anouk stopped in front of Jasper and crossed her arms. He looked up at her.

"Um . . ." he said quietly. "Hi?"

Anouk rolled her eyes. "What is your problem?!"

Jasper didn't move a muscle and kept his face expressionless. "I don't have one."

"Well, you must, to find me so entertaining that you watch my every move!" she said feverishly. Jasper studied her face; her cheeks had turned slightly pink, giving her a natural blush, making her look even more picturesque than usual. He gazed at her transfixed, until she pursed her lips, waiting for an answer. He opened his mouth to speak, but someone cut him off.

"We're going to go, Jasper. We'll see you later . . ." Rosalie said as the other four stood to leave.

Anouk scowled and shook her head. "No, that's okay," she said. "I'm leaving now. So you can go back to being you're little anti-social, we're-too-good-for-everyone clique." Her voice got higher and she was talking faster; she was getting hysterical. She looked at Jasper, pleadingly. "Just stop! Okay?"

Jasper sent a wave of calm towards her. She relaxed a little before storming out the door that led outside.

"What . . .?" Emmett said, confused but smiling. Jasper turned towards him a smirked a little. He was amused, but the amusement was subdued due to his curiosity as to why she was so on edge today.

-.-.-.-.-.-

She turned the key again, and bit her lip as the car tried to start, making unhealthy noises. The rain had stopped but the sky was still dark with clouds and she knew it would start raining any second. She released the key and closed her eyes, taking a breath before trying again. The car made the same noise, and didn't start. She released the key again, only to turn it once more, holding it there and letting the loud noise continue.

"Please, don't do this to me . . . not today . . . please. . . " she muttered as she continued to hold the keys. She released it and pulled the keys out of the ignition. Throwing them on the dashboard, she gripped the steering wheel and rested her head on it, closing her eyes, frowning. "Of all the days . . ." she mumbled to herself, angry. She sat in that position for several minutes, wondering how everything could have gone so bad. She remembered this day three years ago, when she got home from school . . . she was terrified to see what horrific scene would await her there this year.

A few tears threatened to fall, but before they could, someone tapped on her window. She didn't look up immediately. She made sure the tears wouldn't come first. She looked up expressionlessly, though her mouth fell open a little when she saw who it was. She opened the door, but did not get out.

"Having car trouble?" Jasper asked, smiling faintly.

"It won't start," she grumbled, barely moving her lips, and not taking her eyes away from his. He put his arm on the open door, resting all his weight on it. He frowned at the sadness radiating off of her.

"Would you like a ride?"

She chuckled in disbelief, shaking her head as she reached into the back seat of her car, grabbing her school bag. "Thanks, but no thanks. I don't think your brothers and sisters would like that much. Not after what I said to them earlier . . ." she said as she stood up out of the car. Jasper tensed as she became closer to him. "I shouldn't have said that. Will you tell them I'm sorry?"

Jasper's mouth twitched into a smile, though it didn't reach his eyes. He was still very tense as he took a step away from the car. "You don't need to apologize. It's true . . . we keep to ourselves."

"Still," she said as she slammed shut the tan door of her car, "I shouldn't have said it the way I did." She shifted her mouth from side to side a couple times before turning away from Jasper and walking away from her car.

"Where are you going?" he asked before she got too far. She stopped and turned around to face him.

"I've got to get home somehow."

"You're walking?" She nodded once and turned to continue walking. Jasper pursed his lips, thinking. He didn't want her to leave just yet . . . there was something he had to know. He walked quickly to catch up to her, slowing only when they were side by side, though there were a good five feet between them.

She turned her head to look at him, but didn't stop walking. "What are you doing?"

Jasper turned to her. "You won't let me give you a ride. At least let me walk you home," he explained unsmiling and still very tense. He didn't know what he was thinking, but the opportunity was presented so perfectly to him; how could he resist?

She narrowed her eyes at him. "It might rain."

"Rain doesn't bother me." She shrugged and watched her feet as she walked. They walked for a minute in silence, glancing at each other a few times. "So, tell me about yourself," Jasper said as he put his hands behind his back, standing stiffly and formally, trying to make conversation.

"Um . . . there's not much to know . . ."

Jasper made a face and shook his head slightly. "I don't believe that for a moment," he said. He waited for an instant to see if she would answer. When she didn't provide him anything, he asked her, "What do you like to do? Your hobbies."

She smiled at the ground. "I dance."

Jasper let out a breath. "Everyone knows that. What else?"

She looked the sky as se tried to think of something else. "I like to read," she offered.

"What do you read?"

She looked at him. "Books." She smiled a little before facing forward. "And what about you, Mister Mystery? What do you do for a hobby?" she asked, the edges of her mouth still pulled up.

"I like to do a lot of things . . ."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be difficult. Do _you _like to read?"

"Yes," he responded, almost completely void of emotion.

"What do _you_ read?"

"Books," he teased, and she shot him a playful glare. They walked a little while longer in silence, neither one of them looking at each other, but at the ground in front of them. Some of the sadness she had been feeling had been washed away thanks to Jasper; though he didn't know if it was all because of his powers. Maybe she was starting to feel better, even without his influence. "You seem to be feeling better than earlier . . ." he ventured to say. He wasn't used to having casual conversations with people, and he wasn't exactly sure how to go about it.

She cringed. "Yeah . . . I'm sorry about that," she said, blushing. Jasper watched her cheeks intently as they heated up. With blood. He walked a little closer to her. "I was getting a little hysterical, and I don't exactly think straight when I am hysterical."

Jasper straightened up, becoming even stiffer as he realized how close he had gotten. He returned the original distance. He had to figure out something, and to do it he couldn't get distracted. "And why were you so beside yourself?"

He felt the sadness and sudden burst of panic rush through her quickly. He quickly calmed her, and she smiled awkwardly at Jasper. "A couple years ago, my dad died on this day," she said quietly, looking away from Jasper as she brushed a bush of flowers she passed.

"I'm sorry . . ." Jasper said slowly after he reacted to what she had said. Edward was right when he said it was personal. "It wasn't my intention to pry." _Lie. _"I apologize if I made you feel worse by bringing it up," he added, feeling another burst of sadness. He sent her waves of a more cheerful feeling.

She chuckled slightly. "Don't worry about it," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "It's not like I had forgotten and you reminded me of it. I think I'm kind of lucky. I only feel super horrible on the anniversary, and at other times I'm fine. One day a year of depression I can handle. It's become my unlucky day." She chuckled again. Jasper looked at the ground again. He didn't smile. He was tense as a breeze passed, blowing her scent in his direction. She must have noticed because she said, " Are you alright? I didn't mean to make you feel awkward."

"I'm fine," he assured in a small voice, as he tried not to breathe too deeply even though the breeze had passed. "So it's your unlucky day? Was it a bad one?"

She cocked her head to the side as she looked at him thoughtfully. "It's not so bad anymore." She began to smile but stopped herself. "I feel a lot better with you around." She immediately looked away and blushed again. "I mean," she added quickly, "not as sad. Like, when you are around I can't focus on the sad stuff." More blood to her cheeks. "What I mean to say is that," she paused, contemplating what to say without embarrassing herself. "Well, I'm not sure. But in Calculus, and now, I was feeling the usual distress that comes on this day, and then you came in and it just . . . disappeared. Or was less prominent, anyway."

Jasper smirked to himself. So it had worked earlier. She made a face at herself, clearly embarrassed. Another breeze passed, stronger this time, and the scent was even more noticeable. He went very rigid. He had to control himself. Get his mind on something else, as Alice told him to do once. "How did he die?" he asked, in a strained voice. She quickly looked at him and then away, unsmiling. Maybe that was the wrong question to ask.

"He was attacked by and animal." She shook her head angrily. "In our own home. Of course, I don't know which animal. If they ever found out, they never told Mom or Oliver or me."

Jasper didn't respond, sensing how touchy the subject was getting for her. For the first time, he took in his surroundings. They were headed away from town, to a more secluded part of the area. If he hadn't known any better, they would have been headed to his house, but then they turned down a different street, just as empty, lined with nothing but green trees and haze. They walked further down the road before turning down a nearly hidden one. It looked the same as the last.

"Who's Oliver?" Jasper asked curiously while trying to change the subject.

She smiled, but it faded, and Jasper knew she was still upset about the previous conversation. "My brother, the artist," she said half-mockingly. "He's a photographer."

"An artist and a dancer," Jasper mused. "A family of the arts?"

Anouk snorted. "Hardly. I don't know where we got our artistic genes. My mom's best drawing was a stick figure, and she's got two left feet." Jasper didn't miss how she left out her father.

"Does your brother go to our school?"

"No, he graduated when I was in eighth grade. He lives in San Francisco."

"Hey goes to school there?" Jasper asked curiously.

"Yeah . . ." Anouk responded glancing at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Where do you want to go to school?"

She looked at him, her eyebrow raised, with an amused expression. "What's with the third degree?" She shook her head at him, clearly amused, then looked ahead.

Jasper didn't respond, only smiled quickly as they continued walking down the empty street. They walked in silence for the rest of the way, turning several times at a fork in the road, silently glancing at each other. Jasper spread calm and relaxing feelings between them, though sometimes he noticed a sudden outburst of sadness from her. Once he thought he felt excitement. But he couldn't be sure.

As he was sure they got closer to her house, a different emotion came through- fear. He dismissed it at first. They turned up her long, winding dirt driveway and walked to her house. It was average sized and though it was older, it was impeccably cared for. It looked to be from the 20's, updated with a new paint of coat perhaps. It was surrounded by greenery and had many windows

She stopped 20 feet from the house. "Well, here we are," she said, looking at the door. Jasper was sure he felt the fear this time. "I feel like I should invite you in or something. You _did _walk all the way here with me."

"That's not necessary," he said with a nod.

She nodded her head in return and took her keys out of her bag as she walked to the front door. She shoved the key in the lock and turned it, but before she opened the door, she turned back to Jasper. "Are you sure you don't want something to drink, or whatever?" she asked, longing to keep him there a little longer. She craved his presence, as if it would make everything so bad about this day so much better.

They looked at each other for a few seconds in silence. "Aright," he finally said. "I'll come in."

Neither one of them smiled or even looked at each other as she opened the door. She let him enter first. She gently closed the door and dropped her stuff on a dark blue uholstered bench in the hallway.

It was spacious, clean; a fresh light blue was splashed on the walls with white trim and dark wood floors.

She led him into the kitchen, and he sat down at a dark wooden table as she walked over to the fridge. She pulled out a carton of milk. "What do you want?" she asked before she shut the fridge.

Jasper didn't want anything. He didn't need anything. "Water is fine."

She closed the fridge and pulled two glasses out of the wood framed-glass cupboards. She filled one with filtered water, and the other with milk. She put the milk away and brought the drinks to over. She handed the water to him, and sat down with her milk. She looked at him taking in his blonde hair, pale skin, butterscotch eyes, strong jaw line. Everything about him was impeccable and perfect.

He stared back at her light brown eyes. A rush of longing passed through both of them, hitting Jasper with full force. He let out a breath. He hadn't realized he wasn't breathing. He took another breath; the whole house smelled like her. Great. Just what he needed.

"I should go." He stood and took a sip of the unneeded water and began walking out of the room

"Wait!" she said quickly before he walked out of the room. He stopped and looked at her curiously. She was standing now. She bit her lip.

"Yes?"

She shook her head slightly, more at herself than at him. "Um, I'll see you at school." He nodded at her, and they looked at each other motionlessly before he turned and walked out of the kitchen. He didn't breath until he had gotten out of the house; he hadn't realized he stopped breathing again. He walked to the end of the driveway before breaking into a fast run through the trees, towards his home.

Anouk stayed standing in the kitchen, taking deep breaths and biting her lip. There was something about him. How was it that he made her forget how horrible today should have been? Made her forget the sadness altogether? And she hadn't missed that surge of . . . whatever it was she felt. He must have felt it, too. The whole room was filled with it. But it left with him, and Anouk wasn't sure if she was happy or not about that.

She sighed as the calmness faded away and her eyes flickered to the family photo that hung over the table. She breathed again before dumping the two cups in the sink and walking up the stairs to her room. She flung herself on her bed. She looked at the ceiling, her thoughts drifting back to the mysterious Jasper Hale.

He definitely wasn't like other guys . . .

**~.~.~.~.~**

**Hey guys! I hope you liked this chapter! I just realized how long this story is going to be . . . so I hope I don't loose some of you guys along the way!**

**So, does anyone have and questions? Any ideas for what you want to see happen? Characters you want to see more of? Anything at all? You know what to do!**

**PS the next update may take a little longer . . . I'm sorry**


	6. Highly Involved

**Hey ya'll (and yes, I am justified in saying that!). I feel extra special because my family is from Texas, just like Jasper is from Texas! Yay! Anyway, I really had no idea what to do with this chapter, so I was like crap. Everyone is going to get mad because it's going to take me a long time to finish this chapter. So I sat down and busted this chapter out, and I actually had a lot of fun writing it! I hope you enjoy reading it.**

**~.~.~.~.~**

The front door burst open as all the Cullen's (minus one) returned home. Alice and Rosalie walked quickly side by side towards the living room.

"She's really nice, I think," Alice quickly said to Rosalie as the walked. "I mean, I've never spoken to her, but she looks nice."

"Jasper seems to like her a lot," Rosalie responded inexpressively.

"Yeah, he'll be super happy with her." Alice threw her book bag carelessly onto the floor next to couch she sat in.

Rosalie smiled at Emmett as he wrapped his arms around her from behind and she quickly pecked him on the cheek before turning back to Alice with a serious face. "Did you see her boots?" she asked. Alice shook her head. "They were fabulous."

Emmett shook his head and chuckled. "You only approve of her because she has nice shoes?"

She broke away from his grip and took several steps away from him. "I'm not saying I _approve_ of a relationship between them at all! I don't. It's dangerous for all of us, and I, for one, can't believe that Jasper would be willing to risk _our_ safety for a little snack," she said coldly.

Alice looked at her with a frown. "A snack?" she questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"We _all _know that's what she's going to end up being to him. He even knows it, I bet. But still he pursues her. " She crossed her arms over her chest and raised and eyebrow, smirking. "Someone should have told him not to play with his food," she laughed. Alice glared at her as she stood and bounced out of the room. Emmett looked at Rosalie disapprovingly. She rolled her eyes at him. "What?! You know it's true," she said defensively

Emmett sighed and shook his head at Rosalie, but smiled nonetheless, as he walked out of the room. Rosalie followed close behind. When they were at the bottom step of the stairs, in sight of the door, they both stopped and looked at Jasper as he walked in and shook himself off. He looked up at their unsmiling faces. "The rain picked back up," he mumbled. Rosalie smirked and Emmett raised an eyebrow at him. "What?"

Rosalie shook her head at him. "Go get something to eat," she said coolly as she began walking up the stairs. "You're eyes are getting darker by the second. But I guess that's a good thing; means she's still alive." Jasper watched her as she walked up the stairs and out of sight.

"Sorry 'bout her," Emmett said shrugging. "You know Rosalie."

Jasper sighed and walked passed Emmett up the stairs and to his room. He flung himself on the couch and pushed his fist into his forehead. What was he thinking?! He shouldn't have offered to walk her home. He could've killed her!

But he didn't.

Maybe he really _was___improving! Maybe he _could_ be around Anouk!

But maybe he shouldn't take the risk. He let out a frustrated sigh. Maybe he should make a list: pros and cons of getting close to Anouk. But he was afraid that the cons would outnumber the pros.

A light tap at the door brought him out of his frustrating thoughts. Without invitation the door opened and the person stepped in.

"Hi, Jasper!"

"Hello, Alice," Jasper sighed. She kneeled by his head and grinned at him.

"How was Anouk?"

"Fine."

"Are you going to walk her home again tomorrow?" she asked excitedly.

"No," he said. Alice's face fell. Jasper quickly explained. "I'm going hunting tomorrow."

Alice studied his face for a moment. "That's probably a good idea." Jasper didn't respond. She sat and stared at him for another second. "Why don't you play your guitar or something? I like when you do."

Jasper sighed again. "I don't feel like it."

"Please?" she begged. He turned his head towards her as she looked at him with pleading eyes. He sighed again.

"Not today, Alice," he said. She pouted her lips and stood up.

"You'd do it for Anouk," she muttered as she danced out of the room. Jasper shook his head as he reached behind the couch and pulled out his acoustic guitar anyway. He strummed random chords, hoping to get his mind off of things –well one thing in particular—but it was no use. He sighed yet again and put his guitar on the floor.

A day of hunting was just what he needed. He could quench his thirst, though it wouldn't truly satisfy him; he was almost positive blood from_ one_ specific person would ever be able to do that. He shook his head. He shouldn't think about such things.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"Have a great day at school, sweetie!"

Anouk gave her mom a tight smile as she quickly looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was close enough to hear her enthusiastic mother. No one was; Anouk was earlier than usual. "Bye," she muttered before shutting the passenger door and walking away from the car. She sighed in relief; she had gotten through being dropped off by her mother without being embarrassed.

Her mother honked her horn four times, frightening Anouk and making her drop her folder. She cursed under her breath; she had spoken too soon. She leaned down and picked up her folder, but nearly dropped it again as she straightened up to face a smiling, smiling beauty.

"Hi Anouk!" she said happily as pushed some of her short dark hair out of her face.

"Uh, hello," Anouk responded hesitantly as she began walking slowly towards the school.

"I'm Alice," she introduced happily as she bounced alongside Anouk. Anouk chuckled awkwardly.

"I know," she said quietly, looking straight ahead. Alice bounced next to her in silence, and Anouk glanced at the silver Volvo where stood the rest of her family. The most beautiful girl in the school, Rosalie glared at her as they locked eyes, but looked away as the brawny one, Emmett, put his hand on her shoulder. Anouk looked back Alice, who was staring at her with a grin. Anouk smiled back self-consciously.

"Do you like Jasper? Like, _like _like?" she asked, her smile never faltering. Anouk stopped walking. Alice did, too.

Anouk narrowed her eyes at Alice, and Alice's smile faltered quickly, before Anouk broke into a crooked smile. "Wow," she laughed. "Sure don't dance around the subject, do you?"

Alice's face brightened once again, and she laughed, showing off her white teeth that were only a little whiter than her pale skin. "Nope," she said, smiling. They started walking again, and Alice watched her out of the corner of her eye, still smiling. "And you changed the subject. Do you?"

Anouk smiled, and let out an amused breath. "Hmm," she said, not giving Alice a straight answer. Anouk had been dancing around that same question the previous night and, truth be told, she hadn't been able to decide. He was a little reserved and awkward, and he looked uncomfortable around people. It wasn't until she had gotten to thinking about his perfect pale skin, gorgeous locks if honey-blonde hair, his slim but fit build, and his enticing baritone voice that she realized that if she could spend that much time thinking about him, she was being drawn to him like a magnet to a fridge. Maybe even stronger.

She felt she was justified in being completely engrossed with him (after thinking about him for so long, she had to look him up in the yearbook from the previous year, in which he looked completely perfect, of course). After all, how could she _not _be with his strong, masculine jaw line and soulful buttery eyes. And she did detect a slight (and completely melt-worthy) southern drawl when he spoke to her. She suddenly felt very lucky that he had offered to walk _her _home, and actually went into her house. She was actually quite excited to see him again today.

"He likes you, you know." Alice's voice brought her out of her thoughts, but as soon as she registered the words that Alice had said, she was sent into another world of thoughts. _What?!_ He liked her? Anouk had never really had a crush or anything on a boy before, so she wasn't really sure how it worked. But from what she had seen from her friends, it wasn't supposed to happen that quickly. It brought new meaning to the words '_girl meets boy, girl likes boy, boy likes girl, they live happily ever after_'. It wasn't supposed to be so easy, was it? "He's going to _kill_ me for telling you, but I needed to get the ball rolling, you know?" Alice said happily. Anouk hadn't noticed they had entered the school, and had stopped walking. "It's so funny, because I always thought you weren't into high school boys . . . or boys at all!"

Anouk's eyes went a little wide, and she chuckled. "What gave you _that _idea?" she laughed, shocked at Alice's assumptions.

She shrugged one shoulder. "You never accepted the many offers the guys here gave you. Never seemed at all interested," Alice mused.

It was Anouk's turn to shrug. "Jasper's different," was all she offered.

Alice's face was beaming. "So you _do_ like him already!"

"Already?"

Alice rolled her eyes. "I knew you would fall for him. I just didn't know when!" Anouk narrowed her eyes at Alice. But _of course_ she knew that Anouk was going to fall for him! She'd seen him; who wouldn't fall for him?! "Oh!" Alice squealed. "You guys are going to be so happy together!"

Anouk shook her head at Alice. "Wait, Alice, just because we I maybe kinda like him" _understatement of the year_, "and he maybe kinda likes me . . ." (_For some unimaginable reason, _thought Anouk), "doesn't mean anything is going to happen. We probably won't 'get together'."

Alice's smile was replaced with a more serious, yet still amused, expression. "Yes you will," she argued, her head cocked to the side. Anouk looked at her with a confused expression. They stared at each other like that for a moment, when the bell rang. "Oh, well, we'd better get to class. Jasper's not here today, but he will be tomorrow and then we can this show on the road, right?"

"Uh," was Anouk response. She was disappointed that Jasper wasn't going to be in Calculus today; it was sure to be the longest class _ever_.

"Okay, well, I'll see you later!" Alice threw her arms around Anouk, who stood shocked as Alice enveloped her in a sisterly hug. Alice released her and inhaled as she pulled away. "Mm," she said, cocking her head to the side and with one final grin, danced down the opposite hallway to class.

Anouk stood motionless in the buzzing hall, looking at the place where Alice had stood. She quickly smelled her hair and walked to her Calculus class.

For the next classes of her day, Anouk couldn't help but to think about the odd conversation Alice had had with her. Was she telling the truth? Did Jasper want to be with her? Anouk didn't know anything about Alice, so for all she knew, Alice was just saying that he did so that Anouk would admit how she really felt about Jasper. But was Alice really that conniving?

And what if Jasper really did like her? Anouk had no idea how to go about this. She had never taken an interest in, well, anyone since her crush in 5th grade had moved away. She had grown up around the same people, there was nothing new for her to look at, so she had never really thought of any of the guys in town in a way other than friends. But now? Now she had no idea what she was doing.

Before she knew it, the bell for lunch to begin had rung. She absent-mindedly packed up her books and walked to the cafeteria. She bought an apple from the lunch line and sat down at the table her friends were already sitting at. She smiled at them as she sat down at the only available seat. She took a bite of her apple and looked around the room.

At the table across the room, Alice grinned and waved enthusiastically. Anouk glanced over her shoulder on both sides. Surely Alice wasn't waving at _her._ But no one else was waving back to her, so Anouk smiled with a confused expression and hesitantly waved back. Rosalie glared at her.

Anouk turned her attention back to the people at her table. Georgina was leaning towards her, smirking, resting her chin in her palm.

Anouk looked at her curiously. "Is there anything you'd like to tell us?" Georgina said suggestively.

"Um . . ." Anouk said, thinking of something that maybe she had forgotten to tell them. She came up empty. "I have a math test tomorrow?" she offered.

Georgina rolled her eyes. "And when were you planning to tell us about whatever is going on between you and Jasper?"

Anouk's eyebrows pulled together as she looked at Georgina. The other girls at the table turned to look at Anouk with smiles and wide eyes.

"What?" Anouk half-laughed. Had Alice told everyone that she liked him?! "There's nothing going on!"

"Psh." Georgina leaned back in her chair. "Don't lie! I saw him walking you home yesterday!"

Anouk let out a breath. "That doesn't mean anything!"

"Then why did he?"

Anouk faltered for a moment. "He . . . wanted to apologize for staring. And I apologized for snapping at him," she said quickly. "I really don't know how we ended up walking together."

Georgina rolled her eyes again. "So there's _nothing_ going on between you two?" she asked, a little disappointed.

"_Nothing_," Anouk stressed. "We aren't even friends."

"Oh," she said. She was obviously disappointed. Anouk tried not to roll her eyes. It wasn't any of _their_ business anyway. "Well, did he _offer_ to walk you?"

"Yeah . . ."

Georgina's face brightened. "Then maybe he likes you!"

Anouk really did roll her eyes this time. "_Nothing_," Anouk repeated.

"Oh, come on," Jessica piped in. "Are you saying you wouldn't go for him if he liked you? Because if that's the case, then your, like, insane. He's one of the cutest guys here."

"Yeah, and the other cutest guys are his adopted brothers," Georgina said, raising her eyebrows.

"Leave her alone," Angela, a girl Anouk didn't know very well, said. "She obviously isn't interested."

"Come on, Anouk!" Jessica groaned. "You've gotta be interested in _someone_."

"Well, whoever it is," Anouk lied, taking a bite of her apple, "they obviously don't go to this school."

"You know what?" Georgina said. "We should all go down to La Push this weekend. I've got a couple of Quileute friends who would want to meet you Anouk."

"How do you know them?" Anouk questioned.

"Well," Georgina said, " I _am_ half Quileute."

"Oh, yeah," Anouk said. "I forgot." Georgina rolled her eyes.

"So are you in?"

Anouk sighed. "I suppose. But just to hang out. I don't want you trying to set me up with anybody," she warned.

"Ugh," Georgina grunted. "_Fine._"

-.-.-.-.-.-

She stopped when someone fell in step with her. She looked up and took a deep breath. He was even more gorgeous than he was at lunch. She smirked. "You don't have to walk me home again, you know," she said as they continued walking.

"I know," Jasper said quietly. "But I . . . want to."

Anouk smiled to herself. "So . . ." she said somewhat awkwardly. "That math test was pretty brutal, huh?"

"Sure."

"Where were you yesterday?" she blurted out.

Jasper glanced at her. "I, uh . . . I had to . . . take care of a personal . . . _thing_ . . ." Jasper rolled his eyes at himself. What a poor excuse.

"Oh," Anouk said, nodding. "Like what? Something to do with your parents? Your real parents, I mean."

"Uh, sure," Jasper said again.

"Sorry," Anouk faltered. "I-it's just I know your adopted and I just—"

"It's alright," Jasper assured. "But," he added quickly, hoping for closure on the subject of his absence, "I'd rather not talk about it."

Anouk nodded again. They didn't speak as they walked. In fact, they were almost halfway to Anouk's home before she spoke. "So . . . I had an interesting conversation with Alice," she said as she pushed some hair out of her face.

"Did you?" Jasper questioned. Great. Alice was getting involved.

"Yeah, and she told me something . . . kinda, erm, interesting."

"Did she?"

"Mhm," Anouk said, a little unsure about what she was doing. "She told me . . . well, she told me that you, um, liked me in a, you know, more-than-friends way . . ."

Jasper closed his eyes and sighed. "I knew Alice wouldn't keep her mouth shut."

Anouk looked at him shocked. "You mean she was telling the truth?" she asked amazed.

Jasper chuckled. "No, she wasn't lying."

"Oh," she said, smiling and looking away. They walked in silence for the rest of the way, Anouk wondering what happens now, and Jasper wondering what he should do. As they turned up her long driveway, she turned towards him. "So . . . what happens now?"

Jasper looked to the ground and sighed. "We can't . . . be together."

"Okay . . . you lost me." Anouk looked him, confused.

"It's wrong for me to feel this way," he muttered, barely audible. "Because of what I am."

Anouk let out an un-amused chuckle, though she tried to hide it. "What do you mean --"

"It's complicated," Jasper sighed.

Anouk looked at him, accusingly, smiling a little. "Only because you're making it complicated." They had reached the top of her driveway and had stopped walking. The happy feeling in Anouk's stomach had sunk into a feeling of she didn't much care for.

"I-I don't mean to hurt your feelings," Jasper added quickly, sensing the change in emotion. "It's just . . . I don't think it's the brightest idea if we . . ."

"You know what," she said smilingly, though her voice cracked. "It's fine. I understand, I guess." Jasper closed his eyes as he felt her disappointment, though she smiled. She was good at hiding how she felt. "Well, I guess I'd better get inside . . ." She smiled one last time and waved once, and pursing her lips, turned and walked into her house.

Anouk shut the door and leaned against it, closing her eyes. _So this is rejection,_ she thought.She opened her eyes and trudged passed the living room, to the bottom of the stair. As she was about to climb the first step, she was stopped.

"Nook?" her mother said, emerging from the living room, holding two movies in her hand. "I was just about to pop in a movie. I haven't gotten my Brad Pitt fix in about a week. I was going to either watch _Ocean's Eleven_, or _Meet Joe Black_. Of course, I could always go for _Interview with the Vampire_; I _do_ love that one. Want to help me choose?"

Anouk sighed, unenthusiastic about her mother's obsession with Brad Pitt. "I'm not really in the mood," she sighed. She smiled weakly before trudging up the stairs and into her room, where she threw herself onto her bed, looking up to the ceiling.

She should go apologize to all the boys she had ever turned down, after causing them this steadily increasing agony consuming her. Send them gift baskets.

_My head,_ she thought as she put one hand on her head. _My stomach_. She held her stomach. _My heart._ She quickly put both hands over her heart, her eyes closed.

She finally understands the agony and defeat of rejection.

The sound of the chorus of Madonna's song Speed of Light burst interrupted Anouk's self-pitying thought. Without opening her eyes, she stretched her arm to reach her ringing cell phone. She flipped open her phone without checking her caller ID, and sighed into it before unenthusiastically saying, "Hello?"

"Anouk? Hey, it's Jessica!" a perky voice said on the other end.

"Oh. Hey."

"How are you?" she asked happily, though Anouk knew she wasn't interested.

"I feel as though my body is being dragged along the jagged rocks of the La Push beach over and over again, surrounded by bloodthirsty animals waiting to tear me up and devour me, while buzzards fly overhead, hoping the animals don't eat all of me so that they can pick apart my remains piece by piece," Anouk said miserably.

"Oh, are you sick or something?" Jessica asked without pausing.

Anouk sighed and sat up. "Yeah," she said, knowing that Jessica had no interest in how she was. "So, what's up?"

"Oh nothing . . ." Jessica said casually. "Just wondering of Mike's called you . . .?"

"Hmm," Anouk said, chewing her lip. "No, he hasn't. Why?"

Jessica breathed out a sigh of relief. "Well, I heard he was planning on asking you out again. And I was wondering if you were going to say yes?"

Anouk exhaled. "No," she said, still sadly. "No, I think I've had enough of boys . . . even though I haven't really gotten to experience the taste of a 'brand new flavor'. Or any flavor." She sighed again. There was only _one_ flavor she wanted. "But whatever. Boys are overrated to me. You should ask Mike out."

Jessica laughed. "I don't _like _him like _that!_" she giggled. "Well, talk to you later! Bye!"

Anouk snapped her phone shut just in time to here her mother open the door. "Nookie?" she asked hesitantly. "What's the matter, baby?" Her mom sat down beside her on the bed and smiled at her.

"Nothing's wrong, Mom." _Except the fact that someone just punched my heart several times. Or gave it a paper cut and pour lemon juice and salt on it. _Anouk rolled her eyes at herself. _Stop being so melodramatic!_

Her mom looked at her in the eyes for moment, before putting a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "It's a boy, isn't it?"

Anouk shook her mom's hand off of her and stood up. "Mom!" she whined. "No, it's not! It's nothing."

"Alright, alright," her mom said, putting her hands up defensively. They were silent for a moment. "You're being 'safe' with him, aren't you?" her mom whispered.

"Mom!" Anouk yelled embarrassed. "It's not a boy! Now please leave. _Now?"_

Anouk sat down in a plush chair in the corner of her room as her mother shut the door behind her.

He had said 'Because of what I am'. What kind of excuse was _that?_ Anouk felt insulted. If he was going to reject her, he ought to have given her a decent excuse that actually made sense! She rolled her eyes as she covered herself with a soft white blanket. She grabbed her book off the small table next to her and opened to the page where she left off.

Anouk's eyes shot open as the alarm next to her bed went off. She got up slowly from the chair where she had fallen asleep, and cursed herself for not moving to her bed as she stretched her back. She quickly changed and grabbed her book bag before hopping in her mom's car to be dropped off at school.

She barely made it on time. Mr. Dosee was about to shut the door before she ran in, pink-faced and breathing heavily. She smiled apologetically to her teacher and took her seat in the back. Jasper went rigid and leaned away from her slightly, his hands balled into fists.

Her blood was pumping through her like he had never heard before. She had obviously been running. Running too much. He wasn't sure if her could handle the quickened beats echoing in his ears.

Mr. Dosee had finished introducing the new unit a minute or two early, so the class was now talking amongst themselves. Anouk glanced at Jasper, who only seemed to have gotten more perfect overnight to mock her. She looked away.

He cleared his throat, but Anouk didn't look at him. "I don't think," he said slowly and softly, though his voice was strained, "that we should be friends."

Anouk looked at him, an eyebrow raised, annoyed. "I don't think we were friends to begin with."

Jasper looked at her with a hard expression. "Perfect."

Anouk glared at him. "Yeah, perfect." Jasper leaned back in his chair as the bell rang and watched Anouk quickly stand and walk swiftly out of the room. He let out a breath. It was better for her to be angry with him, and stay away, right?

He gathered his things and walked quietly out of the room.

The next day, they didn't speak to each other at all. Or glance at each other. Or acknowledge the other's existence. Or pretended not to, anyway. The scent of her blood was more poignant. Maybe it was because she was so mad at him, he thought.

His throat burned like no other that day. He was trying to control himself as much as he could, but he was sure he was going to snap at any second. As he walked down the hallway to the cafeteria, all he could think about was how important it was to control himself. He had to. For his family.

He walked without seeing, only noticing when someone passed very close to him as they walked to the cafeteria. His feet guided themselves. He collided with someone and instantly stopped breathing. No wait. He already wasn't breathing.

He clenched his teeth as tight as he could without breaking them as he saw who he had knocked over as she picked up her dropped folder. "Could you at least _watch_ where you are going?" he asked, sounding annoyed as he kneeled down to help her pick up the papers that had flown out everywhere. "Any why don't you just put the folder in your bag? Why do you have to _carry_ it everywhere?"

"I got it! I don't need your help," she said as she ripped the papers out of his hand and stood up. "And you were the one who wasn't paying attention."

They stood, looking at each other tensely for a moment before both turning to walk through the door to the cafeteria at the same time. They flinched away from each other and took a step back. They frowned at each other. Jasper held open the door. "Ladies first," he said stiffly and without smiling.

"Thanks," she said harshly and walked through the door. She plopped herself down at a table with her friends as Jasper walked to his usual table. Alice watched him, with pouted lips and narrowed eyes.

"Ugh," she said to him as he sat down at the table. "Why are you ruining this?" Jasper just rolled his eyes.

The next day was much of the same, without the run in before lunch. They completely ignored each other, much to Alice's disappointment. Jasper paid no attention to her; he was having a hard time keeping control lately. He felt like he could snap at any second, which made Edward very nervous; he was barely leaving Jasper's side to make sure he wouldn't do anything stupid.

He knew that if she was angry with him, it was safer. But he wanted her in every way. For a meal, for a friend, to be his inamorata; oh, especially that last one. Even when she was angry, she was perfect. The long locks that layered perfectly to frame her face looked soft and luxurious enough for _him_ to fall asleep in, and he wanted nothing more to run his hands through the flawless waves. The dark color of her hair complimented her porcelain skin, making her features stand out. Her eyes were a light-brown color; almost like rich honey.

Her eyes. Usually people's eyes were a dead give-away about how they were feeling, but she hid her emotions well, when she wanted to. When he first met her, no matter how annoyed or angry she was about his cold attitude, her eyes never changed from that when she was not. If he didn't have his 'gift', he would have never known how annoyed she was with him in that first week.

Her lips were full, and when she wasn't smiling they pulled downwards, almost making it look like she was frowning. When her pale pink lips did open to smile, two rows of straight, even, white teeth gleamed. Her whole face brightened when she smiled. Her canines were pointed slightly, almost like a lesser version of the vampire's in the movies, though hers weren't menacing; they were perfect.

Though the most compelling thing to Jasper were her cheeks. Or, more specifically, her blush. He didn't know if he was so captivated by it because he knew it was the blood rushing to her face, or if he just thought she was beautiful. She always had a little rosiness to her cheeks; just a slight tint, sometimes not visible in the right light. But when she blushed, it turned to the most pleasant shade of pink he had ever seen, like that of a tea rose. When she blushed, Jasper wasn't sure what he wanted to do more; suck the color right of her or stoke her cheek.

And that was just her face! She was perfectly thin, and it was easy to see she was in shape; she had a flat stomach and long, tight legs, no doubt because of dancing. Though she was slim, she was in no way stickly; she had a subtle hourglass figure that extenuated her gracefulness in everything she did; though she did tend to drop her things a lot . . .

Her voice reminded him of the string section of a symphony, playing in perfect harmony with each other. Though he noticed when she was angry (like she had been when she confronted him on that previous Monday), one of the violinists in that symphony struck a wrong note, pressed too hard on the strings, or even broke a string.

"Please, stop," Edward whined in Jasper's ear. "This is worse than listening to Emmett think about Rosalie . . . or Rosalie think of herself. If you go on for one more second, I think _I_ just might fall in love with her."

"I'm not _in love_ with her," Jasper grumbled. Jasper glared at him as Edward raised an eyebrow.

"Yet," came Alice's sweet voice from across the table.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"Hey guys!" Georgina said happily as she shut the door to her old VW Beetle. Anouk got out of the car hesitantly as she slid on her jacket. Two copper skinned guys swarmed around Georgina and hugged her tightly. "Gah!" she said as she tried to breathe. "Where's Paul? Did he come? He said he would!"

"Ah, keep your pants on, woman. He's almost here," one of them said.

"What is it you see in that guy, anyways," another said. "Why want him when you could have me?"

"I don't see anything in any of you," Georgina said, laughing.

"Who are you?" Anouk didn't realize he was talking to her until he waved a hand in front of her face. He laughed when Anouk jumped.

"Oh, that's Anouk!" Georgina shouted from where she was sitting; around a fire pit. The man in front of her turned back to Anouk.

"Uh, what she said," Anouk said softly. Anouk looked up at him. He was huge. Bigger than anyone he had ever seen. His black hair was cut short, and his muscular build was slightly intimidating.

He let out a deep chuckle and extended his hand out to her. "I'm Jared." He sent a friendly smile at her, which Anouk returned. She put her hand in his large one; her hands were average sized, though compared to his they looked tiny. The moment shook his hand, her eyes went wide and she pulled her hand away quickly.

"Are you feeling okay?" she asked worriedly.

He smirked at her and tilted his head. "Yeah. Perfect. Why?"

"You feel like you're on fire!" she exclaimed. Jared barked a laughed. "Are you sure you're okay? You're not feeling faint or have the shivers or—"

"Healthy as a horse," he assured, still laughing. Anouk still looked skeptical, but smiled.

"Whatever you say . . ." she said as he led her away from the car and over to the fire pit. He sat down on a log and motioned for her to take a seat next to him. Anouk smiled and sat down. Across from them was Georgina, watching someone light the fire. On another log, perpendicular to the one she sat on, was the remaining Quileute, sitting calmly and quietly.

"That's Sam," Jared told her when he noticed her looking. "And there, lighting the fire, is Wilbur."

Anouk chuckled once. "Like the pig in Charlotte's Web."

Jared barked another laugh and Wilbur looked up at them, glaring at Jared. "She's the one who said it!" Jared laughed when he saw Wilbur's glare.

He turned to Anouk. "Hey," he greeted as the fire picked up. He stood and shook Anouk's hand. He wasn't nearly as big as Jared. "And the name's Wil."

"He wishes," Jared muttered, and Anouk laughed. Jared turned to her with a smile. "I have one question for you: Do you like s'mores?"

They spent about an hour laughing and joking around with each other; eventually, the one named Paul came, and took a seat next to Georgina. So far, the smallest was by far was Wil. The time passed as they ate s'more after s'more.

"Geez, what is that? Your fiftieth s'more, Jared?!" Georgina laughed as he put another marshmallow on his poker.

"This isn't for me! It's for Nookster here," he said smiling at her.

"Forget it Jared," Wil said, smirking. "She's not interested. You're obviously not her type."

"And what is her type," Jared joked. "The small scrawny guys?" Jared poked Wil in the side. Anouk chuckled and shook her head. Wil wasn't scrawny it all, but compared to the others, he looked very small and weak. Anouk could only imagine how fragile _she_ looked next to them.

"Nah," Georgina said. "She into the pale, anti-social type. Right, Anouk? The _Cullen_ boys?"

Paul, Jared, and Sam exchanged glances. Anouk pretended not to notice. "I am not!" Damn! She had almost forgotten about Jasper! Then Georgina _had_ to go bring it up like that.

Georgina rolled her eyes. Anouk could feel her cheeks heating up, though she was sure no one would notice; it was already dark.

Anouk stood up to take off her jacket. She wasn't sure if it was the fire or Jared's unusually hot body temperature that was making her overheat. She set her jacket down before smoothing out her sweater and straightening her skirt and sitting down.

Paul let out a whistle. Anouk looked at him curiously. "You've got _nice _stems." Anouk's eyes went wide and Georgina slapped his shoulder. Everyone laughed.

"Um," Anouk said. "Thank . . . you . . .?"

"Like really. They go for _miles_."

"Okay, I get it," Anouk laughed, hiding her cheeks in her hands. She was really blushing. Georgina grumbled something to Paul that sounded like 'You weren't supposed to flirt with her!'.

Anouk rolled her eyes and stood up. "I should go . . ."

Everyone groaned. "No! Don't go because Paul's being stupid. He's always like that!" Jared whined.

Anouk laughed. "No, I really have to go. I have dress rehearsal for a performance."

"We don't have a performance," Georgina said, skeptically.

"_We_ don't, but the class of little kids I teach do." Anouk took a step towards where everyone parked, but stopped. "Or not. I forgot I don't have a car," she groaned.

"I'll give you a ride," Jared offered standing up. Anouk smiled gratefully and nodded. They waved goodbye to everyone and walked over to Jared's old black car. Anouk got in the passenger side and shut the door. Jared smiled as he started the car and pulled out onto the street. He began driving towards town.

"So what happened to your car?" Jared said after a moment of silence.

Anouk ran her hand through her hair and sighed. "It's deceased. I need to take it to the mechanic, so there goes my college tuition."

"You know," Jared said. "I know someone who knows a thing or two about cars. He could probably fix it up for you for free."

"Really?!" Anouk said excitedly. "That'd be fantastic!"

Jared laughed. "Well, we wouldn't want you to give up your college education." They smiled at each other as he drove on. "So, pale, anti-social guys, huh?"

"Oh God," Anouk groaned. "Don't listen to Georgina. She has some strange delusion that I'm crushing on the Cullen's." _One Cullen in particular, thank you for bringing it up._

"Eh," he said, smiling, obviously not believing her. "Which one is it? The big idiot?"

"No, I'm pretty sure he's with the blonde bombshell who glares daggers at me," Anouk laughed, not minding the insults to the Cullen's. Anyone connecting back to Jasper was a sore spot for Anouk.

"Ah, then the pompous and bored-looking one? Edward?" he offered.

"I've never said two words to the guy."

"So then the weird one, eh? The one who always looks like he's in pain?"

Anouk laughed. "He is weird, isn't he?" Telling her he liked her but that he couldn't be with her. Weird. Saying he couldn't be with her because of 'what he was'. Weird.

"Don't tell me it's the doctor!" Jared exclaimed.

"No!" Anouk laughed. "Besides, he's happily married."

"So, then. It's not the pea-brained giant, or the pompous one, or the weird one, or the doctor," Jared said. He obviously had something against them. "It's not one of the girl's is it?"

"No!" Anouk laughed. That was the second time that week someone accused her of that. "It's none of them!"

"Okay, okay," Jared sighed. "I believe you."

They drove in silence for a moment, but Anouk broke it. "He's not _that_ weird," she muttered, barely audible.

Jared obviously heard, because he laughed awkwardly. "The weird one."

They had pulled down the street of the small dance studio, and Jared pulled over in front of it. Anouk smiled and opened the door as she stepped out. "Thanks for the ride," she said to him as she went to shut the door.

"Hey, wait!" he called after her, and she leaned back into the car. "I'll see you 'round, okay?"

Anouk rolled her eyes. "Yeah," she said as she smiled. "Bye." She shut the door and watched as Jared pulled out onto the street again and zoomed away.

She rolled her eyes as she entered the studio. _He wasn't _that_ weird._

**~.~.~.~.~**

**So there it is! I'll have you know, it's twenty pages when I typed it up, and I shortened it quite a bit! I hope you liked it. Like I said before, it might be awhile before the next one gets out, so bear with me! Oh, and leave comments please, or it will take me longer. I need encouragement. Seriously, it's not that hard to leave a comment. **


	7. Playing the Game

**So sorry this took soooo long! I was really busy with school and such. Oh, and in case you didn't read the preview post (the note) you should go back and read it. It's important**

**~.~.~.~.~**

This whole 'no car' thing wasn't working out for Anouk. She was getting to school too early. Waking up too early. Especially after a night of waking up after every dream she had about Jasper. She was angry with him, but she couldn't let herself _really_ be angry with him. She liked him too much. And how sad, she realized, was it to like a boy that didn't want you the same way you wanted him?

She sat now in her Calculus class, staring blankly ahead. She felt like she hadn't slept at all. One by one, each student came into the room, taking their seats for the beginning of class. The weekend had gone by in a blur, much like the previous week had; she was too busy thinking about a certain pale blonde to notice what was happening in the world around her. If only he thought about her like that . . .

He walked into the room, immediately catching Anouk's attention. She wanted to groan. He was better looking than in her dreams. He never smiled, but he looked like he could be a model, anyway. She watched him as he smoothly walked between the rows of desks to get to his seat. He looked at her and she noticed him gulp as he looked at her tensely. Her eyes never left him as he sat down in his desk. Her lips parted slightly as he quickly licked his lips and ran a hand through his hair.

Though no windows were open, a light breeze passed him, and though there was no sun, he was glowing lustrously. He turned towards her, his jaw clenching and unclenching slightly. He smiled slightly at her and Anouk bit her lip. In slow motion, he reached over to her and gently ran the tips of his fingers down her cheek. "Anouk," he said, his voice like butter. Anouk's eyes widened. "I can't stop thinking about you." They both stood up quickly from their seats and he pulled her over to him. She crashed into him, making him fall against his desk as their lips connected. She pulled him closer to her by the front of his shirt, and he wrapped his arms around her and switched their positions. Anouk was now pressed against the desk as they kissed ferociously. Anouk ripped his shirt open, not bothering with the buttons, and ran her hands over his toned chest as Jasper lifted her to sit on the desk. Smiling as they kissed, she wrapped her legs around his waist and he picked her up, carrying her to the table pushed against the back wall. He kissed her neck as he lowered them onto the table. They pulled away and looked at each other, smiling. Anouk ran her hand through his hair while he cupped her face in his hands and she laughed he flipped them over so that Anouk was now lying on top of him. They grinned as they rested their foreheads together, breathing heavily. He pulled her face towards him again and kissed her feverishly.

"Ms. van der Clare?" came Mr. Dosee's voice. Anouk shook her head and blinked a few times. She was still sitting in her seat, Jasper still in his, his mouth twitching into a smirk. She looked quickly to her teacher, closing her mouth. "The answer, please?"

"Uh," Anouk said, her throat dry. She licked her lips quickly. "What was the question?"

Mr. Dosee and sighed and shook his head at her. "Mr. Cullen?"

"6 root 2," he said quietly. Mr. Dosee smiled and nodded once, turning to write the answer on the board. Anouk and Jasper looked at each other, before Anouk blushed and looked away.

"Very good," Mr. Dosee said, sending Jasper a small smile. "It's nice to know some of you actually pay attention."

Jasper watched Anouk as she blushed, all but ignoring his teacher. He had been wondering why she was staring at him with a glazed over expression, when he felt a strong sense of longing and lust coming radiating from her. Ah. Daydreams. That was something Jasper could relate to considering they were the only kind of dreams he could have. He mentally cursed himself for being pleased that she was daydreaming of him as he had of her lately.

But of course their fantasies were nothing alike. Well, maybe they would start the same; touching each other without hesitation, brushing his lips across her skin as they held one another. But the daydreams were immediately different as soon as he imagined leaning in as if to kiss her neck as he smirked at her smiling face, enjoying the fact that she had no idea what was coming next. Sinking his teeth into her soft and delicate skin, he would relish the taste of the sweetness of the blood running down his throat as she uselessly struggled in his arms until she eventually lay limply, relaxed as if she were sleeping. Finally the burning in his throat would subside, and his hunger would be satisfied completely for the first time in years.

The bell rang, bringing Jasper out of his thoughts, and he watched as Anouk quickly gathered her things and walk swiftly out of the room to her next class.

As Jasper walked out of the classroom himself and started in the direction of his second class, French Literature, someone bounced beside him happily. Without looking, he knew she was grinning at him as the glee radiated from her. "Hi, Alice," Jasper sighed.

Alice pouted. "You don't like me anymore," she said, though he knew that she knew that that wasn't true.

"Of course I do, Alice," he reassured. "You're my best friend."

Alice's face brightened as they walked down the hall. "So, guess what?" she said excitedly.

"What?" he said with little enthusiasm.

"There's going to be a thunderstorm later today!"

"That's great, Alice," Jasper said with little interest. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy playing baseball with his family, he just other things on his mind . . .

His tone didn't bother Alice at all. "I think a good game of baseball is just what you need! We haven't had a chance to play in a long time." She reached into her bag. "And look what I got for you!"

Jasper's lips pulled upwards slightly as Alice pulled out a white baseball cap with dark blue seams, the logo for the Seattle Mariners sewn on the front. He knew Alice wasn't as enthusiastic about baseball as she was about the fashion; in fact, dressing up in baseball attire was her favorite part of the game and she made each member of the family do it. She placed the hat sloppily on his head, and he immediately took it off to examine it, smiling. "Thank you, Alice," he said.

"You have to promise me to wear it, okay?" Jasper nodded as Alice reached into her bag again. "Look! I got one for me, too!" She pulled out a two-toned hat; it was dark blue with a red bill, a red "A" stitched to the font.

"I didn't know you liked the Angels," Jasper said, pointing to the "A".

"Who are the Angels?" she asked him. "I got it because it had an 'A' for Alice!" she giggled. Jasper chuckled once. The bell rang and Alice snatched both hats and stuffed them back into her bag. "I'd better get to class. Bye, Jazz!" She smiled at him before walking quickly down another hallway to her next class.

As he went to his next class, Jasper's thoughts drifted back to Anouk. He was more drawn to her with each passing minute, and he didn't know how long he would be able to survive it. He was looking forward to lunch just so he could see her again. Calculus was quickly becoming his favorite class of the day because he was so close that he could feel the heat emanating from her.

Jasper didn't like using his ability of manipulating emotions. He felt it took away the reality of a situation, even though it did come in handy when there was a disagreement between his family members. With Anouk though . . . he wanted to make all the anger, and sadness, and aggravation disappear for her. Replace all the negative emotions with cheerful ones.

The thought of making her love him crossed his mind. Once. Just once. And he quickly dismissed it.

But he wanted to hold her hand, and kiss her cheek, or if those weren't possible (which they weren't), at least _be there_ to make her as happy as could be. If _he_ were the one who made her happy, he himself would be ecstatic.

Before he knew it, he was sitting at the lunch table next to Alice, watching with an emotionless face as Mike Newton made his over to Anouk, and took a seat next to her. Though he was oh so very calm, cool, and collected on the outside, inside he was seething. Alice chattered happily to him and Emmett, though she probably knew he wasn't listening. He gritted his teeth as he watched the scene across the room.

Mike was trying to make casual conversation with Anouk, but it was obvious that he had ulterior motives. Jessica Stanley sat on the other end of the table, staring at the two, pouting.

"So, Anouk," he said. Jasper glared. He knew what was coming. "My parents are going out of town for the weekend, and I get to use their car while they're gone."

"That's cool," Anouk said sweetly, though her eyes were sympathetic. She knew what was coming, too.

"Yeah! It is!" Mike exclaimed. "So, yeah, I was wondering if you wanted to, you know, catch a movie, have dinner . . . like a date?"

Jasper held back a growl. How dare he ask out _his_ Anouk on a date?! Like she would say yes. Jasper felt bad for the pathetic boy; it was obvious that Mike and Anouk had no connection whatsoever. Anouk was better off with any other guy than Mike Newton. _Anouk would be better with_ me_, _he thought bitterly.

Anouk sighed. "Mike, it's not that you're not great, but we've been through this, haven't we?"

"Yeah, but I thought maybe you changed your mind," he asked hopefully.

"Mike . . ." Anouk said, kindly. "You know the answer."

"You never know, Anouk, we could be made for each other," Mike said, semi-jokingly. Jasper scoffed internally.

Anouk laughed. "I think there is someone else out there for _both_ of us, Mike," she said seriously. Jasper didn't miss how she glanced over at his table when she said that, which made instantly made him forget his bitter thoughts toward Newton, and instead focus on her light eyes, framed perfectly by thick, long eyelashes—

"Jazz, whose team are you going to be on?" Alice asked him exuberantly.

"Whose team am I usually on?" Jasper asked back, not bothering to take his eyes off Anouk.

"You're usually with Rosalie, and Emmett, but Emmett made a bet with Rosalie that his team could beat hers . . . so Emmett switched teams," Alice explained as she stared at Jasper staring at Anouk. He felt her worry so he ore his eyes away from Anouk and looked at Alice.

"I'll be with Rosalie and Carlisle, then," he said, unsmiling, staring at Alice meaningfully, as if to assure her that he wasn't thinking about sinking his teeth into Anouk's neck. Alice nodded and went back to her conversation with Emmett.

The rest of lunch passed in such a manner, and he had trouble keeping his eyes away from her. Whenever he did look away, the picture of her was ingrained in his mind. Eventually the bell rang. For the rest of the day, Jasper paid no attention to class; his mind was stuck on thoughts of Anouk. Half of him was happy about it—thinking about her made him fell whole, which was odd because he never knew until recently that he had been missing something.

The final bell rang and Jasper was in agony. Not from thirst this time. From longing. Longing for something he couldn't have. But he couldn't do this to himself anymore. It was completely masochistic.

So when he saw her walking through the parking lot, he knew what he wanted to do. He bit his lip as he watched her walk away, holding her folder and new book to her chest. He looked around at Alice, who was smiling knowingly at him. Jasper tapped the hood of the Volvo, contemplating if he should go after her. Alice grinned. "I'll see you guys later," he said, and the others looked at him, bewildered, as he quickly walked in the direction of Anouk.

"Shh, let him go," he heard Alice tell the others. He paid them no mind, though. He ran quickly in the direction she had gone. She had walked quickly, he realized. When he finally caught up to her, she had already turned the corner, down a quiet street. She was taking a different route home.

He ran the last few steps to fall in step with her. She was reading. When she felt him walk beside her, he saw how her eyes stopped reading, and she licked her lips, but she didn't look up at him.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, and she barely looked up from her book to see where she was walking. But she wasn't really reading. She couldn't focus.

"What are you reading?" he asked her finally.

"Edgar Allen Poe," she said shortly.

"A little dark for you, don't you think?"

"Dark for me?_" _she questioned, letting out an angry chuckle. "Dark for _me?"_

"That's what I said, yes."

" 'Dark for me', he says. Oh that's _really_ something," she said, her cheeks flushing. She was getting angry, andsomewhat hysterical. It was slightly amusing, seeing how work up she was, and Jasper held back a smile. "And suddenly you know me _so_ well that you know what's 'dark' for me? You're ridiculous."

Jasper smirked and cast her a sideways glance. "I just never pictured you as a dark person. That's all."

She sighed. "What are you doing here?" she asked him tiredly.

"I . . ." he began. What was he doing? "I don't know . . ."

"I mean, ugh!" she said, confusion on her face. "I don't get you! At. All. First you act like there is something wrong with me when I met you, then you walk me home and be all nice, and then you stare at me constantly and then you tell me you like me and then the next day you say we shouldn't be friends. You ignore me all week and now here you are, walking with me again! Why?"

Jasper closed his eyes for a moment, and breathed in. He opened his eyes and she was looking at him expectantly. "I—hmm . . ." he faltered, wondering what to say. "This week has been agonizing."

She narrowed her eyes in confusion. "I don't see how that answers my questi—"

He cut her off. "I cannot sit here, ignoring these feeling any longer," he said. They stopped walking.

They were at the bottom of her driveway now, and Anouk's expression immediately softened, though there was still confusion evident in her features. "Then don't."

Jasper sighed. "If only it were that easy," he said, running a hand through his hair.

"Be with me," she said as if she were spelling something out. She looked at him and smiled like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"I don't think you understand," Jasper said, chuckling darkly, frustrated that she wouldn't get it through her head that they could be together.

"I don't," she confirmed as she frowned at him.

Jasper sighed. "I can't be with you. Because of what I am," he tried to explain, though he wasn't sure how he would be able to do that without giving away his secret.

She folded her arms across her chest and shifted her weight to one side, looking annoyed. "And what is that? A Cullen?" she asked slowly and dramatically as she raised an eyebrow.

Pursing his lips into a dark smile, Jasper sighed again. How could he do this without saying too much? "That's part of it."

"What's the rest of it?" Anouk pressed.

"How I long to tell you," he said dramatically, teasing a little.

Anouk threw her hands up and let out an irritated noise. "Why are you being so difficult?!" she questioned, putting her hands on he hips.

"I'm not trying to be," he said truthfully.

"Then stop!" She smirked at him. "Give me one good reason why you can't be with me."

Jasper thought for a moment. "I don't want to," he finally said. Anouk looked satisfied with the answer, though her emotions said otherwise. She was confused.

"You don't want to give me a reason or you don't want to be with me?" she asked, breaking out of her understanding charade.

"Either. Or both."

"Could you give me a straight answer, please?" she pleaded, getting slightly desperate for some answers.

"I don't think so." He said it playfully, but it was, again, the truth. He couldn't give her a straight answer without putting his family at risk. Or worse—make her afraid of him.

"You are being very annoying!" she said as she glared at him.

"All for the better." He let it out come out in a sad sigh. All for the better, he repeated to himself.

"Do you want to be with me?" Anouk asked him forwardly, looking at him straight in the eyes.

"No," was his quick, and automatic reply. Anouk frowned as she continued to look straight into his eyes.

"Do you mean that?" she questioned, obviously noticing his insincerity.

"Not in the least," Jasper breathed, quite positively. It was no question that he had feelings for her now.

"Ugh!" She threw her hands in the air and looked around them as she ran a hand angrily through her silky hair.

"Oh, how I wish you would understand," Jasper said, again in a slightly dramatic tone.

"Oh, how I wish you would give me something to help me understand," she replied, mocking his tone. He'd noticed that as they continued this conversation, Anouk's cheeks had become pinker and pinker the more frustrated she had gotten with him. He couldn't stop looking at them. The blood made them so pink and delicious-looking. But he mustn't think like that. She looked at him, confused. Probably wondering why he was staring at her . . .

"You're cheeks are the most delightful shade of pink when you're flustered." She rolled her eyes, but looked away, embarrassed, making her cheeks even pinker. Jasper swallowed to try to ease the steadily increasing burn in his throat.

"You're just teasing me now," she accused, glaring at the trees, still not looking at him.

"I wouldn't dream of teasing you," Jasper joked, trying to ignore his burning throat.

"Can you please be serious?" she said, somewhat desperately, looking at him with her arms crossed.

"No," he said tensely before he swallowed stiffly.

"Why not?!"

"It's my defense mechanism, I guess." Whatever keeps me from attacking you, I suppose.

"I don't think I can talk to you anymore," she said shaking her head at him and turning halfway in the direction of her house. She didn't stop looking at him.

"Again, all for the better."

"I don't think I could not talk to you," she said quietly. She blushed a little, and slowly blinked her eyes.

"And I you." Happiness. She was happy. _Doesn't she realize the danger? Oh, if only she knew what I was capable of._

"You have me hooked," she said chuckling, though Jasper knew she was being serious.

That confused Jasper though. For her to say that now made no sense. "Hooked? On what?"

"On you." Again, a slight blush. Jasper's eyes softened as she tried to smile at him; he felt how hurt she was at the fact that he wasn't showing that he felt the same way.

"Oh dear, that is terrible news, indeed," he said lightly, sending her a small smile.

"Are you teasing me again?" she accused, narrowing her eyes at him.

"I wish I were."

"Why do you hate me so much?" she groaned.

"We already established that I don't hate you. Quite the opposite."

"Then why are you doing this to me?"

"Ah, but you are the one tormenting and tempting me."

This confused her. Tormenting _him_? Tempting _him_? How? Either way, she figured that it served him right. He ought to feel as awful as she does. "Good."

"Very bad," he said seriously, and frowning.

"I hate you, Jasper." She was very frustrated now. He said he liked her, yet he won't be with her! Why is he playing this horrible game with her?!

"I wish I could say the same about you," he said softly, looking into the trees, slightly ashamed.

"Goodbye, Jasper," she said stiffly.

"Goodbye," he said, slightly amused.

"I'm leaving now."

"That is what the term 'goodbye' implies," he said, raising an eyebrow.

Anouk took one step towards the house, though she was still facing him. If she left him right now, she might not have another chance to talk to him, especially on this subject. She couldn't let him go that easily. Especially with his mood swings of liking her, then not wanting to be with her.

"Aren't you leaving?" he asked, still amused.

"I can't. I can't leave you."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to lose you."

"Don't be ridiculous. You couldn't lose me if you tried. Besides, I have you hooked, remember?"

"You're teasing me now," she said blushing. Had she really said that? Now she heard how ridiculous it sounded and mentally scolded herself.

"I am." He stared at her fixatedly, almost as if examining a rare specimen of some sort. With intrigue and awe. It made her feel slightly uncomfortable.

"What are you staring at?" she finally asked.

"Your cheeks are that perfect shade of pink again. But you aren't flustered anymore, are you?" he asked. He knew she wasn't.

"No, I'm embarrassed." She told him, like it was so obvious. It was really.

"I know."

"You seem pleased," she said stiffly again.

"Very," Jasper said shortly, cocking an eyebrow. He felt the annoyance building up in her.

"Why?! Do you like embarrassing me?" she asked angrily.

"Yes, I do." He didn't smile.

"Why?" she whined.

"Anything to see that flush on your face." He said, staring longingly at the pinkness that was the blood rushing to her face

"You're embarrassing me again," she whined and held her cheeks in her hands, not wanting him to stare at them.

Jasper regretted saying those words. She had blushed more deeply than she had before, and, just his luck, right as the wind picked up. Jasper stiffened. Before he could stop breathing, the her scent surrounded him, and Jasper closed his eyes as he savored the smell. Without opening his eyes he took a step towards her.

_So sweet . ._ . he thought. _I could have her drained and disposed of an hour before her mother notices. It would be so easy. I would simply reach for her—of course she would come; I know how she feels about me. She would think I was returning her affection . . . I would lean down to kiss her and she would let me . . . of course she would. And then I would . . ._ Jasper clenched his jaw as he realized what was happening. She watched him curiously. _One bite . . . surely I will able to stop before I killed her . . . Just one taste_ . . . he took another slow step forward, but stopped abruptly. "I must go," he said hurriedly, taking a few steps back. " I shall see you tomorrow." He turned his back towards he, desperate to get away before he did something he regretted.

"You're leaving?" she asked, disappointed, sounding so innocent that Jasper had to turn around to face her.

"Yes, and so are you. You're mother is worried sick." Anouk rolled her eyes. Her mom was always worried about her. But he shouldn't know that. He'd never met her mother . . . had he?

"How do you know?" she questioned suspiciously.

"I can't tell you," he said quietly.

"Don't start," she warned.

"Really, you should be going," he said as the breeze picked up. He visible stiffened.

"Don't tell me what I should and shouldn't do," Anouk said angrily, crossing her arms. Her expression softened a moment later, and she bit her lip. There was a clap of thunder in the distance, but Anouk paid it no mind. Goodbye, Jasper."

"Goodbye," he said as they looked at each other. He straightened up even more than he already was and turned, walking away. Anouk watched him walk away as there was another roar of thunder, closer this time. Anouk sighed as it began to drizzle. She turned as she watched the sky, and walked to her house.

When she shut the door behind her, her mom came rushing to her. "Where were you?" she asked quickly.

"Walking home from school," Anouk sighed.

"I tried calling you."

"My phone's on silent," she answered shortly. Her mother looked even more worried at Anouk's response; she could tell something was wrong. "I'm tired. I think I am going to take a nap," Anouk said.

"Okay, well I'm going to the grocery store. We need more milk."

Anouk nodded, walking quickly up the stairs and into her bedroom. She threw her stuff on the bed, and took out her phone, turning up the volume. She threw that on the bed as well, with a little too much force; it tumbled off the bed and onto the floor. She didn't bother to pick it up. She sat on the window seat and stared out into the sky.

To be rejected once was one thing; but twice? That was ridiculous. He was ridiculous.

Why would he lead her on like that . . .? Tell her that he had feelings for her, but rejecting her in the same conversation? It didn't make any sense.

_Well,_ she thought, trying to stay positive,_ his loss. It's not like I can't get any other guy._

She half wished she had accepted Mike's offer earlier. Just to go out with someone, maybe making Jasper feel bad in the process would be very satisfying.

_Very, very satisfying._ She walked over to where her phone was and picked it up off the floor, not sure whom to call, when it rang loudly. Anouk started a little. _Quelle coincidence. . . _ she thought amusedly as she looked at the caller i.d. Private . . .

"Hello?" she asked as she flipped open her phone.

"Hey, Anouk? It's Jared."

Anouk smirked to herself. Looks like she _would_ be getting out this weekend. "Hey, Jared!" she said happily. "What's up?"

"Nothing really. You left your jacket last week at the bonfire . . ." he said, trailing off."So . . . yeah. I have it."

"Okay, well you can give it to Georgina to give to me, if you want . . .?"

"Well, actually I was wondering if you wanted to hang out this weekend," he said confidently. "I could give it to you then."

Anouk smirked again. Too easy. "That would be . . . perfect."

"Okay! Cool. Okay, so I'll call you later this week for the details?"

"Sounds good," she said happily. They said their goodbyes and Anouk snapped her phone shut, and set it on the window seat, where she sat again, this time looking out to the trees, completely content.

_Sorry Jasper,_ she pictured herself saying to an imaginary Jasper_. You're too late. I already have plans this weekend. With Jared. _Maybe_ next time. Maybe not._

Her smile faltered a little when she realized that now _she_ was leading Jared on. . . It's not that she didn't like him . . . she just didn't like him _like that._

Before she could think any more about it, something caught her eye. A little girl was standing on the edge of the trees of the forest that enclosed her back yard. She was wearing a light pink dress, grinning up at Anouk as she twirled her golden curls with her fingers.

Anouk looked at her at confusion. What was she doing there? Anouk's eyes widened as she saw the girl wave to her and run into the trees. "Wait!" she shouted, though she knew the girl couldn't hear her. She quickly ran from the window and down the stairs, shoving her shoes on, ignoring the thunder in the distance.

The forest was dangerous! Didn't the girl know that? Where were her parents? Anouk had to find her before something happened to her! Anouk ran out the back door and into the forest where the girl had gone in.

Anouk ran cautiously through the trees, wondering where she could have gone. "Hello?" she said, as she stopped running. She heard a giggle, and the little girl peaked around the trunk of a tree.

"Little girl, you have to come with me," Anouk said, gently. "It's not safe in the forest."

"Yes it is!" the little girl giggled before turning and running in the other direction. Anouk cursed and followed after her. It was easier for the girl weave through the plants and trees, and Anouk struggled to keep up, slipping on the moss and roots.

"Wait!" Anouk called after her, but her voice was no match for the resonating thunder. She followed her to an area with little plants, a canopy of trees above her. The little girl stood in the middle of the clearing, smiling sweetly at Anouk. Anouk walked forward to the girl.

"It's really not safe," Anouk said, catching her breath.

"It is for me," the girl said, grinning. "Not for you."

"What –" Anouk was cut off as someone grabbed her shoulder, turning her quickly around. Before Anouk could make sense of anything, a cold hand was shoved to her neck, and gripping it tightly, lifted her easily of the ground.

The little girl squealed and Anouk saw her run away deeper into the woods as she gasped for breath, kicking her legs, trying to pry herself free from the stranger's grasp.

-.-.-.-.-.-

"You're out!" Emmett called to Rosalie, and Rosalie glared at him.

"I am not! I made it to the base three seconds before you even threw the ball to Esme!" Rosalie argued.

"Esme, you caught it first, didn't you? Didn't you?" Emmett exclaimed.

Emse looked back and forth between both of her children, both of them looking at her expectantly. "Well . . ." she said hesitantly.

"Can we _please _switch?" Alice whined. "I'm tired of pitching! I want to hit!"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Fine," she said angrily as she glared at Emmett.

"Oh, come on. Don't get mad, babe." Emmett laughed. "Get it? Babe? Like Babe Ruth. . . the baseball player . . . you know—"

"Everyone knows who Babe Ruth is," Rosalie snapped as she passed Emmett. "And that wasn't funny."

"You are just mad because I got you out."

"You didn't!" Rosalie said, stubbornly.

"Alright, enough," Carlisle said fatherly as he took his place to pitch. Jasper had already taken his place in outfield, and the others were ready to bat.

Alice took the bat, and gracefully swung it a few times, warming up. She smiled and nodded to Carlisle when she was ready for the pitch. Carlisle wound up and threw a perfect curveball towards Alice. She ignored it. Esme caught it (no glove of course) and threw it back to Carlisle.

Carlisle pitched again. This time a fastball. Alice gracefully swung the bat and a loud crash sounded when the ball made contact with it. Alice dropped the bat and began to dance around the bases.

Jasper watched the ball as it came down to him. He caught it and threw it quickly to Esme, who was still catching, with ease. Alice was out. She pouted and playfully glared at Jasper, who shrugged and adjusted his new baseball cap. Alice grinned and took her place behind Esme.

Edward was next up, and Carlisle pitched; Edward hit it and it flew in the direction of Rosalie. She ran after it, into the trees, and within a second, the ball came flying out of the trees and into Esme's hands. Edward—who has always been the fastest—was already at home base.

"Yeah, Edward!" Emmett said, giving him a high five and picking up the bat where Edward had discarded it. Thunder sounded before Carlisle threw the ball, and a boom louder than the thunder echoed through the clearing when Emmett hit the ball. It went soaring passed Jasper, into the forest, and Jasper raced after it.

He followed it deeper and deeper into the woods, following the holes in the trees the baseball had created. He saw the baseball on the ground and quickly picked it up, but as he was about to throw it, he stopped.

A sweet scent filled his lungs and Jasper slowly walked in the direction it came from. He had no doubt as to whose it was; but why was Anouk in the forest?

He ran faster than his already superhuman speed as he heard a light laugh followed by the whimper of who Jasper assumed to be Anouk. He entered a clearing, and saw a beautiful pale woman of about 30 pinning Anouk to a tree by her throat. The woman leaned towards Anouk, inhaling her scent, and she laughed again. Anouk shut her eyes tightly.

Jasper growled and lunged toward the woman, and flung her off Anouk, who slid to the bottom of the tree, her eyes wide and breathing heavily. Jasper took a step towards Anouk, but he stopped when he noticed the woman coming towards him from across the clearing. Jasper quickly picked up a large, bigger than him, and threw it at the dark haired woman. The woman hit the log, breaking it before it did her any damage.

They lunged toward each other, colliding with a loud crash. Jasper, not know what else to do, bit her shoulder, hard, making her yell out in pain and release Jasper. She brought her hand to her shoulder, and laughed darkly before taking off into the trees.

Jasper was about to go after her, when he heard a shaky breath. He remembered Anouk and was instantly at her side.

"Are you okay?" he asked quickly. She looked at him with wide eyes, he mouth hanging slightly.

"What – I—you—how," she stuttered shakily before another there was another clap of thunder. Jasper looked at her worriedly. She closed her eyes and took a calming breath at the same time that Jasper sent her a wave of calmness. She was still slightly in shock. She quickly stood up and stared at Jasper, eyes still a little wide, cheeks flush. "What _are_ you?!"

Jasper took a step away from her. Of course she saw the whole thing . . . she saw him use all his strength, she saw how fast he ran there, and she saw him bite that woman! What does he do? Deny it? _Worth a shot._

"I'm nothing, Anouk, are you feeling okay?" he said, pretending like she was speaking nonsense.

"You're _not_ nothing!" she yelled. "I saw! You picked up a _tree_ like it was a feather! One second you were standing across the clearing and the next second you were right beside me! How? What are you!"

Jasper sighed. "Anouk, you are obviously very upset right now. I'm going to take you home, okay?"

"No! Not until you tell me what you are!"

"I'm nothing, Anouk."

"Don't lie!" she said, hysterical. "Earlier . . . earlier you said you couldn't be with me because of what you were. You can't say you're nothing now! I _saw you."_

"Anouk, something very traumatizing just happened to you. You're a little disoriented. I didn't pick up a tree, or magically appear by your side," he said slowly.

"I _know _what I saw!"

"Anouk!" Jasper shouted. "I did not pick up a tree!"

She glared at him. "You're lying to me. I know you are. I. Know. What. I. Saw."

"No. You. Don't." Jasper grabbed her arm tightly and pulled her through the trees. "I'm taking you home now. Or would you rather go the hospital? She didn't hurt you, did she?"

"I'm fine," Anouk breathed, not taking her eyes off Jasper as he pulled her towards her home.

"What were you doing in here, anyway?" he said angrily.

"what were you?" she countered.

"Anouk," Jasper said, scolding her for her suspicious tone.

"What?! I know something's going on, Jasper. You told me you were _something_ earlier. What are you?"

"_Nothing."_

"Then how did you throw a tree across the clearing?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"You must have hit your head or something, because I didn't throw a tree. That's not possible." Jasper didn't look at her. Under his grip, he could feel the blood pulsing through her arm. He tried to ignore it.

"I saw it, though!" she exclaimed. "You can't deny it!"

jasper sighed as the entered her back yard. He led her to the back door and opened it for her. She looked at him for a second before stepping inside. As Jasper was about to close the door, she stopped him.

"I'm going to figure it out, with our without your help," she assured him, looking him in the eyes. She furrowed her brow as she looked at him, distracted. "Did you get contacts?"

"No," Jasper said quickly. He was sure his eyes were black right now, because he had been so close to her blood, but he couldn't give her anymore clues. "Get some rest, eat something. If you feel an anxiety or are hurt in anyway, go straight to the hospital, and ask for Carlisle."

Anouk nodded and he shut the door. He walked around her house to the front, careful not to look suspicious by going back into the woods. As soon as he was out of sight of the house, he ran with vampire speed back to the makeshift baseball field.

Everyone rushed over to him, most looking annoyed, though Carlisle and Esme looked worried.

"What took you so long?" Edward asked angrily.

"And where's the ball? I didn't hit it _that_ hard," Emmett said, slightly amused.

Jasper ignored them, his eyes locked on Carlisle's.

"We have a problem."

**~.~.~.~.~**

**So there you have it. Thank you so much for those who review and who add this to their favorite and alert list! It means a lot!**

**I want a lot of reviews for this chapter, please! I need to know what you guys think and want to see!**

**Next chapter might take a bit . . . sorry :(**


	8. I'm Yours

**Okay, party people. You guys ROCK! I got a couple messages about the preview and such, and I just like to say thanks : ) makes me happy! **

**So this chapter took me way longer than I would have liked. But I've been busy . . . and distracted by other things. There were days where I would write one sentence of the story and then put it away. NO Joke.**

**Okay. Chapter Seven. Let's go. **

**~.~.~.~.~**

"This is . . . not good," Edward said, leaning forward, resting his elbows on his knees. No one felt the need to point out Edward's obviousness. Everyone was silent for a moment, as they watched each other, trying to figure out exactly what this meant."How could this have even happened?"

Alice shook her head and plopped down on the couch, sighing. Carlisle was sitting in an armchair, looking thoughtful, as Esme sat on the arm of the chair, resting her hand on her husband's shoulder, worriedly.

"I think we all just need to relax," she said quietly. "Alice, have you seen anyone finding out about us?"

"No," Alice replied immediately, though she looked unsure. "Not yet."

Esme sighed and nodded. Carlisle leaned forward. "Jasper, you said another vampire was attacking Anouk?" Jasper nodded.

"She was aggressive," he elaborated. "She fought with me."

"You idiot!" Rosalie exclaimed suddenly, stepping away from the window she was looking out of.

"Excuse me?" Jasper said, offended.

"How could you do this to us?" she said coldly. "You know, we wouldn't even have this problem if you didn't develop your cute little crush on that girl. I knew everything was going to go to shit the second he started day dreaming about that little . . . little _human_," Rosalie spat, crossing her arms, addressing the family. Carlisle gave her a warning look for her language. "And now look what's happened. The secret's out and we're going to have to pack up all our things and move across the world. Again."

Rosalie and Jasper glared at each other for a moment. They weren't the best of friends; Jasper found Rosalie's pigheadedness to be rather annoying at times, but they usually got on well enough, almost as if they really were the twins they pretended to be, even. But now Jasper could feel Rosalie's distaste and disapproval of his behavior.

"We have to leave?" Emmett questioned, sadly. "We've barely been here for any time at all!"

"Blame it on him," Rosalie said, motioning towards Jasper. "It _is_ his fault that she knows."

Jasper couldn't take it anymore. Rosalie had gotten on his final nerve with her pointing fingers at him. "And what was I supposed to do, Rose?" he shouted, taking a step forward. "Let her die?!"

"Yes! Yes, you should have let her die, you fool!" she shouted back. "If you weren't so fucking obsessed with her, you wouldn't have cared!"

Jasper scoffed. "And see an innocent person be killed right in front of me, when I could stop it? Don't be ridiculous."

"Wouldn't be too different from your days in the South, now would it?" Rosalie said, cocking an eyebrow. "Didn't seem to bother you too much then."

Jasper clenched his jaw as he glared at Rose. "Rosalie," Carlisle warned.

"What?" she said defensively. "We wouldn't be in this mess if he just let that vampire have her meal!"

"Over my dead body," Jasper growled.

"It _will _be over your dead body," Rosalie said, "when they burn us at the stake."

Alice scoffed. "Oh, please, Rosalie," she said, shaking her head. "They're not medieval. This is the twenty-first century, for God's sake."

"Which means they may think of an even worse way to torture and dispose of us," Rosalie said, darkly. She let out an exasperated breath. "I can't believe you would implicate our family like this."

"Rosalie's right," Edward said, standing. "Very, very irresponsible, Jasper. Selfish, too."

Alice jumped to Jasper's side and shouted, "He was trying to help her!" at the same time Jasper said, "You wouldn't do the same?!"

Everyone was standing now, Alice by Jasper's side, Edward by Rosalie's as Emmett tried to calm her. They were all shouting at each other.

Rosalie kept shouting that this was Jasper's fault and that he ruined everything.

Edward kept saying how selfish it was that Jasper would protect some human, who would eventually die anyway, instead of protecting his family.

Jasper said something along the lines of how he wasn't a sadist and didn't like watching people die, which of course only made Rosalie and Edward bring up his past.

Alice shouted how he was doing the right thing by saving someone's life, and that Anouk would probably let it go anyway. After all, she hadn't had any visions.

And, poor Emmett, he was shouting at everyone to stop shouting.

"Enough!" Esme said above them all, and with such authority that everyone stopped yelling the second she had spoken. "I will not have my children behaving with such manners! I've taught you all better than that, I should hope." Everyone instantly felt guilty for making Esme upset. Esme, who had cared for them like they were really her children, her love for them never-ending. That was the last thing they all wanted. She nodded her head, when she was sure they had stopped fighting. "Carlisle?" she asked, wanting to know his stance on the subject.

He sat with hands folded in his lap, still looking thoughtful. He sat in silence for a moment longer, all eyes on him, waiting for the decision of what to do. He took a breath and leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees, one hand still thoughtfully over his mouth.

"Jasper, how strong was this vampire?" Carlisle questioned. Everyone looked at Carlisle, confused. What did that have anything to do with the situation?

"Very strong," Jasper said, seriously. "I had to bite her to make her back off. Even then, she didn't seem too bothered by it. Why?"

Carlisle stood slowly. "I think she might be more dangerous to us than Anouk." He looked around at everyone. "If she decides to stay in Forks any longer, she may give us away, and cause more deaths than necessary. We need to make sure she leaves."

"And Anouk?" Esme questioned.

Carlisle was silent again for a moment. "Alice, you haven't had a vision?"

"_No_," she stressed, impatiently, annoyed that she still had to tell them this.

"For the time being," he said slowly, "we won't do anything."

Everyone but Esme erupted in arguments, questioning whether he was serious. He held up a hand, and they stopped.

"We won't do anything," he repeated, "until Anouk knows for sure that we are vampires." He paused. "And then, if she does figure it out, we'll leave. Everyone is to go to school, and act as if nothing has changed, is that clear?" Everyone nodded. "Alright. And I never want to see that behavior again. From any of you."

Everyone looked down, ashamed, and nodded. They began to leave the living room, Alice smiling, and Rosalie glaring at him as Emmett led her out of the room. Edward left rolling his eyes, annoyed. Carlisle squeezed Jasper's shoulder as he passed, probably on his way to his study.

Jasper sighed, and looked to the ground, shaking his head. What an ordeal. Had he really done something so wrong? He just wanted to help her . . . but he began thinking about what the others had said. If it had been someone he didn't know, someone besides Anouk, would he have done the same thing?

"Jasper." Jasper looked up as he felt Esme hand resting gently on his shoulder. "I don't want you to listen to what the others said. You did the right thing," she said soothingly.

_It sure doesn't feel that way,_ he thought, though he just smiled tightly and nodded. He didn't want to worry Esme – he was comfortable around her. He thought it probably had something to do with how he always felt the love towards him from her. From the second he and Alice and he had arrived she had seen him as a son, not caring about his past, and what he had done. Even when he had slipped up and attacked a human, she never thought of him differently, always proud, always loving. She worried about him; he felt that, too. She worried that he wasn't happy, worried that his struggle was making him feel helpless and disappointed in himself. He didn't want her to feel that way, even if it sometimes was true.

She patted his shoulder and walked out of the living room and up the stairs, probably to find Carlisle.

The next day, everyone was tense on the way to school. The only person who really spoke was Alice, who was convinced everything was going to be fine.

Alice walked Jasper to his calculus class and smiled at him reassuringly. "Just act natural," she said too quiet for a human to hear. She smiled at him one more time before dancing past him down the hallway, taking the long way to her class. Jasper let out a breath and walked into his class. As he walked to his seat, he noticed Anouk slowly raise her eyes to him and she watched him take his seat with inquisitive eyes.

He looked at her and nodded a little. She raised an eyebrow and returned the gesture.

Mr. Dosee soon started the lecture, and Jasper looked straight ahead. Anouk glanced at the front of the room, but then turned her attention back to Jasper. He felt her confusion, and curiosity. She was determined. Determined to figure out what he was. Which made him nervous.

Halfway through the class, Mr. Dosee had finished the lecture and was letting everyone start on the homework. Jasper tried to ignore Anouk's gaze, but he could see her out of his peripherals.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" she pressed quietly.

Jasper sighed. "Nothing is going on," he said not looking up from his paper, but not writing.

"You're lying." Jasper shook his head and sighed, going back to his work. "I'm going to figure it out, you know. You might as well tell me now."

"I've told you," he said looking at her in the eyes. "There is nothing going on."

Anouk shrugged and turned to her own work. She hadn't started yet. Though she didn't ask for the rest of class, Jasper could practically hear the gears working in her head. Why couldn't she just let it go?!

Thankfully the bell rang and Jasper could escape Anouk for just a few hours. But lunch would be the same. She would stare at them from across the room, wondering what they were hiding. Jasper knew she wasn't an idiot—she was capable of figuring out. There was no doubt about that. Just matter of time . . .

Jasper reached for the door to the cafeteria, and his hand brushed against someone else's who was also going to open the door. The person quickly pulled their hand away and gasped.

Of course it was her.

_Why is it always her?!? _Jasper though angrily.

They looked at each other for a moment before Anouk said quietly, "Your hands are cold."

"Sorry."

Jasper went to open the door again, but she stepped in front of it, blocking anyone from going in or out. Jasper pulled away and looked at her with a questioning expression.

"Excuse me," Jasper said politely, but she didn't move.

"Are you an alien?" she questioned lowly. Jasper smirked slightly and shook his head. Was that the best she could come up with? "What?" she said defensively. "You're not giving me and clues. I'm doing the best I can."

"I'm not an alien."

"Are you like a science experience gone wrong, or like a super hero or something? Can you fly?!" she asked excitedly.

Jasper rolled his eyes. "Of course not."

She sighed with aggravation. "Please just tell me," she pleaded.

"There's nothing to tell."

Anouk huffed and whipped around, opening the door and walking into the cafeteria. She plopped down at the table where all her friends sat, pouting. Jasper straightened up, and walked over to his family and took his seat next to Alice. Each one of them looked at him tensely as he sat, obviously still worried about Anouk.

"Relax," he said, while sending them soothing feelings. "We're fine."

"She's staring at us," Rosalie said sharply. Jasper glanced across the cafeteria to see Anouk looking at them intensely. Jasper sighed.

"She's trying very hard to figure us out," Edward sighed, not taking his eyes away from Jasper. "She's going to start piecing the puzzle together. She's not an idiot."

"Relax," Alice said.

No one spoke for the rest of lunch, and they were careful to act even more normal than usual, knowing that Anouk was watching their every move.

-.-.-.-

Anouk threw her things in the corner of her room, as she sat down at her window seat, thinking.

_What could he be? How did he move that fast, and pick up something so heavy? Maybe he was right; maybe I _was_ disoriented . . ._

She breathed deeply as she let that thought sink in. She dismissed it though; she KNEW what she saw! She shot up from the seat and sat down at her desk, turning on the monitor of her computer.

She pulled up an Internet search engine and typed in 'Jasper Hale'.

Nothing came up, except for Jasper Hale of Missouri, a scientist who had successfully created his own energy efficient car.

She stood up and paced at the end of her bed. He was strong. Impossibly strong. How could someone be that strong? Adrenaline?

Anouk rushed back to her computer, and without bothering to sit down searched "adrenaline rush." She clicked on a link, which led her to a website providing a short definition of the word. Underneath it said"

_The term "fight or flight" is often used to characterize the circumstances under which adrenaline is released into the body. It is an early evolutionary adaptation to allow better coping with dangerous and unexpected situations. With dilated blood vessels and air passages, the body is able to pass more blood to the muscles and get into the lungs in a timely manner, increasing physical performance for short bursts of time._

"Well, he definitely chose to fight . . ." Anouk mumbled as she read. And evolutionary adaptation? Maybe he was a mutant, then, some sort of super-human with adaptations more advanced than the rest of the human population. An adaptation that made his adrenaline pump more . . allowing more strength?_ "_That doesn't sound right . . ."

Two hours later, Anouk was still pacing in her room, occasionally looking up different things. She'd researched aliens on multiple sites, as well as 'super-human strength.' Each time, her search got a little more ridiculous. She'd gone from looking up 'Jasper Cullen' to researching angels and demons.

There was a soft knock at the door, and her mother cracked it open a little. "Anouk? Is everything alright?" Anouk just looked at her mother. Anouk's hair was a mess from running her hands through it, trying to think. "You seem a little . . . off . . ."

"Just doing a project," Anouk mumbled.

"You've been pacing back and forth for hours. I can hear it downstairs," he mother pointed out.

"It's a project that requires a lot of thinking."

He mother didn't look quite convinced, but she dropped it. "I was going to watch Interview with the Vampire –_"_

"_Again?_" Anouk said incredulously, though she was still distracted.

"I watched Meet Joe Black last week." Her mother said, smiling. Anouk rolled her eyes at her mom; Brad Pitt wasn't _that _good looking . . . _Actually, he is . . . _Anouk thought. "Want to watch it with me?"

Anouk looked to her computer screen, knowing she wanted to continue researching. But maybe she needed to take a break and get her mind off things. "Alright."

Anouk followed her mom down the stairs and to the living room, where the movie was paused on the opening credits, a bowl of popcorn on the round, glass coffee table.

They sat on the couch next to each other and her mom pressed play, and for a moment, Anouk thought she would be able to watch this without being distracted by thoughts of _him_.

That is until the first scene started. Louie (played by Brad Pitt, of course) had turned on the lights without moving. Well, he had moved, but too fast for the human interviewer to see.

"He's fast," Anouk said, not taking her eyes from the TV, but not really watching. _Jasper's fast . . ._

"Yes. He. Is," her mother responded as if that were a redeeming quality about him.

"Have you ever met anyone that fast?"

Her mom looked over at her with a raised eyebrow and Anouk glanced at her.

"Joking," she assured. Even though she definitely wasn't joking.

The movie continued and Anouk was still racking her brain trying to put the pieces together. Then it got to the part where Louie lifts Lestat into the air, and rams him against a tree like he is a feather, and Anouk couldn't take it.

She stood up. "I'm going to bed."

"Anouk, it's barely five o'clock. You still have to go to dance," her mother said.

"I'm taking a nap, then," she said as she ran up the stairs. She flung herself on her bed and groaned. "I'm never going to figure it out. He could be a vampire like Brad Pitt for all I know!"

Anouk mulled the thought over in her mind as she chewed her lip. A vampire?

"Nah," she said to herself, dismissing it. "That's just crazy. Vampires don't exist."

_Neither do angels and demons, right? You looked those up, didn't you?_ A voice in the back of her head said. _And what about superheroes? Do they exist?_

Anouk groaned again, but stood and walked over to her computer. She may as well look it up, right?

So she typed in 'vampire' into the search engine. She clicked on a site created by the Folklore department of The University of Aberdeen.

_Vampires__ are mythological or folkloric revenants who subsist by feeding on the blood of the living. Many cultures today still believe in the existence of such creatures, even with the modernization of them through television, movies and literature. _

_The different cultures have different beliefs about vampires. Some believe they can shape-shift, some believe that they cannot enter a home without being invited. But through research done by the ethnology and folklore department of the University of Aberdeen, several common characteristics have appeared. _

_Vampires often have a pale complexion (sometimes associated with their dislike or intolerance of sunlight)_

_Vampires do not age or die_

_They feed from the blood of others or from animals_

_They are cool to the touch from a perspective of a human_

_Vampires in some tales have very specific dietary requirements. Most tales of the undead feature vampires that cannot eat (or at least cannot gain nourishment from) normal human food. _

_Some believe that they have changing eye colors, depending on mood or for no apparent reason._

_In order to trap their prey, vampires are generally very beautiful, at least to the one they are about to feed from. Some say they can change their appearance to meet the victim's preference._

_Vampires are predators – they have heightened senses and have un-accounted-for strength, with quick reflexes and can run too quick for the human eye (however, some believe that the 'speed' is simply a mind trick – see __Physic Abilities)_

Anouk didn't read any more. She turned off the monitor and shook her head.

Pale skin. Cold. Fast. Strong. Changing eye color? All things that Anouk had noticed about Jasper. And the other things seemed to fit, too. She'd never seen him eat anything, and he _was_ very attractive.

She shook her head again. It was absurd to even be thinking about it. Vampires. Did. Not. Exist. Period. Sure, Jasper had those characteristics, but that didn't mean he drank blood, and slept in a coffin or anything. It was just a coincidence.

It had to be.

Because if it wasn't . . . then who's to say witches and fairies and werewolves and magic and dragons didn't exist. Who's to say the BOOGEYMAN didn't exist. Everything Anouk had known would be wrong.

Plus, it just wasn't logical.

Was it?

"Oh my god," Anouk whispered. She ran to her closet and pulled out her coat, hastily putting on before rushing out her door. She put on her shoes at the back door and called, "I'll be right back!" to her mother, before rushing out into the trees.

She ran until she reached the place where she had been attacked. She saw the discarded tree and rushed over to it. It had been pulled out by it'd roots. Anouk breathed heavily and she wasn't sure if it was from running or from finding all this out.

What was going on? She needed to ask him. Now.

She remembered how the site had said something about heightened senses . . . maybe he would hear her.

"Jasper . . . Jasper, please come . . . Jasper . . ." she said as loud as she could, though it barely came out in a whisper. "Jasper . . . Jasper. . ."

-.-.-.-.-

"Jasper!"

Jasper set down his book and rushed to Alice's room. "Alice? Is everything okay?" he said as he pushed the door open and walked into the empty room. No one was there. He looked in Alice's en suite bathroom. No one. He went into her walk-in closet. She was there, standing in the middle of all her expensive clothes, looking at him with a thoughtful expression, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Alice?"

"Jasper did you ever bring back that baseball yesterday?" she asked him. "You know, the one that Emmett hit?"

Jasper's eyebrows pulled together in confusion. Alice was excited about something. "No, I dropped it when I saw Anouk."

"Will you go into the backwoods and get it?"

Jasper continued to look at her with confusion. "Why? We have dozens more."

"Please, go get it, Jasper?" she pleaded. "I want it."

"It's pretty deep in the trees, Alice."

"Where you found Anouk, I know."

Jasper looked at Alice suspiciously. She smiled at him. "Please, Jazzy? For me?" she said making her eyes bigger and pouting her lips out. "I'll be your best friend forever and ever!"

Jasper sighed. "Fine," he said to her, and she grinned at him.

"Go quickly!" she said as he walked over to her window and jumped out.

Jasper raced off into the trees, trying to dismiss Alice's odd behavior. He ran to the small clearing and immediately saw the baseball. He walked over and picked it up. As he turned to leave, something caught his eye.

Anouk was sitting on ground with her back against the trunk of the tree he had thrown yesterday, her eyes closed. "Alice," Jasper said angrily. He walked over towards Anouk, snapping a twig as he entered the clearing.

Anouk's eyes snapped open at the sound. She saw Jasper and she quickly stood, her eyes wide. "You came?!" she asked, amazed, as if she had been expecting him.

"What are you doing here?" Jasper said through his teeth. "Didn't you learn your lesson last time? It's not safe!"

Anouk didn't respond. She just looked him over and gulped once and let out a breath. "I need to talk to you," she said seriously.

Jasper turned and began to walk away, not wanting listen to her questions without being able to answer them. "I have to go," he said, not turning to face her.

"I know what you are," she called after him. Jasper stopped in his tracks and clenched his jaw. He slowly turned around. Anouk looked a little unsure and uncomfortable. "I think . . ." she added.

Jasper gulped and walked over to her, careful to keep a good distance between them. She watched him cross her and stand about ten feet behind her. She furrowed her brow and dropped her gaze, shaking her head slightly. "I'm a logical person. At least, I thought I was. . ." she said. "So, I mean, I'm having kind of hard time even thinking about it . . . but it makes sense . . . everything . . . it fits, and the more I think about it, the more it seems possible . . ."

Jasper watched her from behind, waiting for her to reveal what he was. He and his family would have to leave. She'd tell everyone. They'd probably never be able come back.

And she'd be scared of him. She'd hate him.

"What am I?" he pressed, his voice tense.

Anouk turned around but still didn't look up from the ground. "You're fast. Too fast. And strong. Like Superman strong," she said, looking around at their surroundings. "You're freezing cold. And I _saw_ you're eyes change! I saw them! Sometimes they're light, and like honey, but yesterday . . . yesterday they were black. Pitch black!" Jasper felt that she was getting a little panicked, as if she were convincing herself again. She looked up at him. "Do you eat at all?!"

Jasper sent her a wave of calm, but he doubted it worked because he himself was getting slightly anxious. "What am I?" he asked again, more sternly than before.

She looked at him silently and he heard her heart rate pick up. "A- a vampire . . ." she said quietly, her lips barely moving. After she said it, she looked away from him, into the trees.

Jasper took a few deep breaths, ignoring her scent. He stared at her as she stared into the trees, and neither of them said anything. "Now you see why I can't be with you," he said finally. She turned to look at him, her eyes wide.

"You're a vampire?!"

Jasper looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "You just said it yourself!"

She let out an exasperated breath. "It's different when you say it!" she exclaimed. She looked around quickly, and then back at him. "So . . . you, um, you drink blood?"

Jasper looked into her eyes. "Yes."

"Human blood?" she said quietly.

Jasper opened his mouth but paused before responding. He _had_ drunk human blood. He _wanted _human blood. He loved it. He craved it.

But she didn't need to know that. Not to that extent.

"No," he said after moment. "We live off the blood of animals."

She had a look of confusion for a second before saying with realization, " 'We' meaning you and all the Cullens?"

"Of course." She relaxed after he told her about the animal blood. _If only she knew._

"So are all the myths true, then?" she asked, smiling slightly. Jasper raised an eyebrow. "Like, do you blow up when you go into the sunlight?"

Jasper smiled a little. "No," he chuckled. "We don't blow up. Actually, I like the sun a bit." She looked at him curiously.

"You and your family never go to school when it's sunny, though."

"You noticed that, did you?"

"The whole school's noticed that," she laughed. "They think you go on camping trips and such."

Jasper smiled and nodded. "Then our charade is working," he said. Then he nodded for her to follow him. "Come on, it's getting late, and it's not safe for you here."

She hurried after him and fell in step with him, too close for his comfort. He slyly took a step to the side, putting more distance between them as they walked.

"So why don't you go into the sun?" she asked.

Jasper let out a breath. "It would give us away," he said simply. "The sun exposes us for what we are."

"And can you stand the smell of garlic?" she said, smirking.

Jasper chuckled. "Of course we can."

"What about the good old stake through the heart? Does that kill you?" she said in a joking tone.

"You'd sure have a hard time getting it in there," he said, smiling, though it didn't reach his eyes. "Silver bullets have no effect either, I don't think."

"That's werewolves," she corrected. "Get your legends straight." Jasper chuckled once, though he was preoccupied with the fact that she _wasn't_ running away from him with fear. She was completely comfortable with him. Well, almost. There was a little bit of fear, but it was so subtle that he figured it was just her instinct. "Do you sleep in a coffin?"

Jasper looked at the trees above him, thoughtful. "Hmm, I've never tried," he said. "Maybe then I'd be _able_ to sleep."

"You don't sleep?"

"Not a wink."

"Wow," she said quietly, looking straight ahead. Suddenly her head snapped to him. "You're immortal, then?" He nodded. "How old are you? Well, I mean . . . how long have you been alive?"

"I've lived through just about everything we've learned in US History class," he said flatly. His past wasn't something he wanted to get into.

"Wow," she said again. He felt her curiosity intensify, and wondered how many more questions she had for him. "Hey, how do you become a vampire? Do you have to be bitten by a vampire and then drink his blood like in _Interview with the Vampire_?"

"No," he sighed. "Vampires don't have blood. You just have to be bitten."

"Oh. And why do you're eyes change from gold to black?"

"They are lighter after we feed," he explained. "They turn dark when we're . . ." he hesitated, glancing at her. " . . . hungry."

She gulped. "For blood."

"Yes, for blood."

They were silent for a moment, and Jasper felt her fear rise. He tried to ignore it. "Jasper?" she said quietly.

"Hmm?"

"Do all vampires have golden eyes?"

"No," he said, slightly wondering where that had come from. "Ours are golden because we feed on animal blood."

"Oh," she said, and her fear became more prominent. That confused Jasper. "And, what does it mean when they have . . . red eyes?"

Jasper looked at her intently as he answered. "It means they feed on human blood."

Anouk closed her eyes and let out a heavy breath. "So, that vampire, assuming it was a vampire, yesterday was going to . . . drink my blood?" Jasper didn't answer. He simply looked away not wanting to scare her even more. "Thank you," she said quietly. "For saving me."

He looked at her again and bowed his head slightly. The trees thinned and the lights of Anouk's house shone threw the trees. "Jasper?"

"Yes?"

"I'm not going to tell anyone," she said looking straight at him.

Jasper looked at her, his eyebrows pulled together. "You're not?"

She shook her head. "If I did, you'd all have to leave, wouldn't you?" He nodded. "I don't want you to leave," she said quietly. They broke through the trees and into her backyard. They stopped walking and he faced her.

"Anouk, I've told you – we can't be together, no matter how much I want to," he said sadly. "Even if we stayed."

She sighed and shook her head, confused. "But you said you don't drink human blood!"

"That doesn't mean I'm not dangerous," he said darkly. "Anouk, I haven't always lived like this. My eyes were red once, too. I'm the newest one of my family to adapt to this diet."

"But you _have_ adapted!"

"I . . . have a hard time . . . keeping control of myself," he said, not looking at her. "It's harder for me than the others. Especially around you. Everyday at school, I smell all of their blood . . ." he trailed off, deciding that's as far as he would go with that.

But Anouk pressed on. "But you won't lose control," she said confidently.

Jasper let out a groan. "Don't see, Anouk?!" he said, somewhat angrily. Mostly at himself. "Half the time, I think about ways I could lure them to me! You don't understand! I _want _their blood! I want _your _blood!"

Anouk shook her head stubbornly. "But you won't hurt me," she assured.

"Everyday I am so close to snapping," he said, frantic to get to her to understand. To _make_ her afraid. To keep her safe. "I could attack at any second!"

"But you won't."

"Why aren't you afraid?" he said angrily, as he began to pace.

"Because you haven't hurt me, and I know that you won't."

"How do you know this?" he growled.

"I trust you."

He stopped and turned to her, his eyes filled with pain and angst. He stared at her as she looked at him seriously. His lips set into a frown and he dropped his gaze, ashamed. "I don't trust myself."

They stood in silence. Jasper refused to look at her. She really did trust him; he felt that. He couldn't put her in that danger. Jasper felt a strong sense of worry coming from inside the house, and he immediately knew it was her mother. "Your mom is worried."

Now Jasper felt Anouk's amusement. "_How _ do you know that?"

He shrugged, smiling in spite of himself and looking up. "It's a vampire thing. I have to go." He turned to leave back into the forest.

"But I have more questions to ask you!" she called to him. He turned to face her. "After all, it's not everyday you get to talk to a vampire."

Jasper smiled sadly. "I'll answer them all another time. I promise."

She looked at him skeptically. "Really?"

"I'm a man of my word."

She nodded, and smiled at him before turning and walking into her house. Jasper waited until she hear her mother ask, "Where have you been?!" before running with vampire speed back to his home.

He couldn't let anyone know that she'd found out. She'd promised not tell, and he'd promised that he would answer her questions. They could leave now. Not yet. Which means he had to keep his mind off of her so that Edward wouldn't catch on.

He went in silently through Alice's window. She was laying on her loveseat, playing with an Etch-a-Sketch. Jasper threw the baseball into her lap, and she looked up at him, smirking.

"There's your ball," he said as he walked through her room.

_Mind off Anouk, mind off Anouk, _he thought.

Edward looked up as he heard Jasper walking past his room. Jasper had begun thinking about the troops from the War to make sure that Edward didn't find out what had just happened with Anouk and blab to Carlisle and Esme without allowing Jasper to explain.

"Why are you thinking about your past in so much detail?" Edward asked curiously as Jasper passed.

Jasper shrugged. "Just trying to remember some old friends." Jasper kept walking until he reached his room. He opened his door and went in, plopping himself on his own couch.

His room was smaller than the other's, though it was still rather big. The only furniture in his room was the couch, which faced a wall of windows, and a couple armchairs, along with a coffee table and a desk, which was off to the side, also facing the windows. There was a wall of book cases adjacent to the windows, all of them almost completely filled with books, framed pictures (mostly of him and Alice), or small trinkets he had collected over the years. In the corner was his guitar, sitting upright in its stand.

It was a simple room, but very comfortable for Jasper.

He heard Alice talking to Edward in the other room, and Jasper knew that she was distracting him so that he could think about what had just happened.

So what exactly _had _ happened? She found out the truth. Jasper was surprised that she figured it out so quickly, but half of him thought that he should have known; she was very determined to figure it out.

So there were a couple things that Jasper was completely sure of.

One, she knew that he and the rest of his family were vampire.

Two, she wasn't afraid of him.

Three, she _still _wanted to be with him.

And four, she probably wasn't going to tell anyone.

So maybe they _could_ stay in Forks for a little bit longer. They had to stay at least long enough for Jasper to answer all of Anouk's questions. He had promised, after all.

Alice walked into his room and sat on the floor in front of him, grinning. "Hello, Jasper!"

"Hello, Alice," Jasper greeted as he took in Alice's happiness. It was always nice to be around Alice and her joy. It made him feel better about anything that was happening, and be happy for a little while. "Where's Edward?"

"Watching TV with Emmett and Rose downstairs," Alice said. "I think he'll be pretty distracted." She smiled at Jasper. "So, how did it go?"

Jasper contemplated his answer. "Well, she figured out what we are, so that's bad . . ."

"But she promised not to tell!" Alice interrupted. "We're not going to leave." She tapped her temple a few times. "I've seen it."

Jasper looked at Alice with a pained expression. "But Anouk –"

"What about her? She's not going to tell anyone. You know that, already," Alice whined.

Jasper looked at Alice in silence. She didn't understand. Anouk was getting too close. She was putting herself in danger, and Jasper didn't know how much longer he would be able to resist. He didn't want to hurt her. "She's not afraid . . ." Jasper said quietly. "She still . . . _wants_ me."

Alice groaned. "That's _still_ an issue?!" she exclaimed. "It's so obvious what to do, Jasper. And I already know what's going to happen. I thought you would have figured it out already."

"What are you talking about, Alice?"

"You and Anouk are supposed to be together!" she said smacking his forehead. "Duh! Why didn't you settle this when you were talking to her a few minutes ago?!"

"It's not safe . . ."

"Ugh!" Alice said standing up. "Okay, listen. I've seen a couple things, and there are some pieces missing, sure, but I get the gist of what's going to happen."

"And what is that?"

Alice was getting really irritated now. "You are so dumb sometimes," she said as she shook her head. "I'll put it simply for you. You. Anouk. Together. Lovey-dovey happiness. Do you get it now?"

"You saw that me and Anouk were—"

"Happily in love."

"And safe?"

Alice smiled sadly at Jasper. "Do you really have such little trust in yourself, Jasper?" She sat down next to him and looked at the wall, her eyes unfocused. She blinked and looked at Jasper smiling. "Okay, so she is at the dance studio, and you are going to meet her there and work everything out. And then walk her home. While you are gone, I'm going to explain everything to Carlisle."

Jasper looked at Alice skeptically. This was a bad idea. A very bad idea. They should at least talk to the family first. But Jasper already knew what they would say. They'd say that they had to leave immediately. Jasper wouldn't see her again.

He didn't want to leave.

"Go!" Alice urged impatiently and Jasper nodded his head slowly as he stood and walked over to his window. He slid open one of them and jumped out.

…….

When Jasper arrived at the dance studio, he didn't go in immediately. She it was almost seven thirty now, and she was in the middle of teaching young girls what appeared to be ballet.

"Keep your turnout!" she said loudly as she led the girls in doing tendus wearing tights and tutus. She looked different to Jasper now; authoritative, and serious.

She demonstrated at the front of the room before walking between past the girls, making sure they were doing it correctly. "Demi plié, and now go onto relevé," she instructed, and Jasper smiled slightly at how different she was when she was at school than how she was now. The girls all stood on their tiptoes, and gracefully raised one arm above their heads, the other holding onto the bar. "Okay, now go ahead and bring that leg up into a passé."

The girls brought one leg up into a sort of flamingo pose, their legs turned out to the side. Jasper noticed how they all looked to Anouk for approval, and he could feel how much they admired her. Anouk walked down the row of girls, stopping at one petit blonde and pushing her knee outwards. "Keep your turnout!" she stressed. "Use your muscles!"

She glanced at the clock and sighed. "Okay, time's almost up. Everyone do twenty pirouettes – ten to the right, ten to the left, and then you can go. Make sure to put your shoes in your cubbies. And _practice keeping your turnout!_"

One by one the girls left with their parents, until the only on left in the room was Anouk. Jasper watched her as she put on some music and began cleaning up after the girls. He figured now was as good a time as any, so he took a step in the direction of the door, but stopped when he saw Anouk slip on a pair of ballet shoes and begin dancing to the music herself.

He watched, mesmerized by her grace, and she twirled about, watching herself in the mirror. Her movements were slow, and precise, and it seemed every move she made had a thought behind it. Jasper had never seen anything more stunning. To him, she was more perfect than any vampire he had ever seen.

She leaped, switching directions and doing the splits in the air. Jasper couldn't take his eyes off her. She looked like an angel to him as he flew into the air and drifted back down, landing softly on one leg. She was practically glowing.

It looked so easy for her, but he could hear her heart begin to pound from the effort she was putting into it.

She did one last slow turn before continuing her work of cleaning up a small table, though she was still doing ballet footwork as she sorted through papers.

Jasper took his chance to enter before he got distracted again. He walked quickly through the front door and into a small lobby, quickly and quietly finding his way to the room she was in. He quietly opened the door. Her back was to him as she swayed to the orchestra that was playing through the speakers, and she hummed the tune as she organized some papers on the table, muttering to herself the steps of the routine to that song.

"Plié, pirouette!" she said happily, going through with the motions. When she was halfway through the pirouette turn, she spotted Jasper. She stepped out of Pointe as she gasped and fell backwards against the table, gripping it to keep her balanced. Her heart began beating faster.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you," Jasper said quickly.

She took a deep breath and nodded, turning back to her papers. "You know, when you said 'another time', I didn't think you meant two hours later," she said, slightly amused.

Jasper didn't respond. He took a step forward. Just one step. Her heart was still beating faster and harder than usual. "I . . . needed to talk to you now . . ." he said slowly. The pace of her heartbeat continued at a quick rate, but now Jasper could feel her nerves. She already knew what this was about.

"Are you going to tell me again that we can't be together?" she said, sighing, her back still to him. "Because I think being rejected three times is enough, don't you?"

Jasper smiled a small smile, and it was so quick he wondered if he really did smile. "I didn't come to reject you, Anouk." He took another step forward. "We'd have to be extremely careful I could; humans _are_ very fragile. I'd have to hunt more often; I'm not going to take any risks by being the least bit hungry, but that's something I'm willing to do. I . . . wouldn't be able to touch you. No hugs, no . . . kisses . . . or anything. We probably wouldn't even be able to get too close . . ."

Anouk smiled slightly as she turned around to face Jasper, her eyes gleaming. "For now . . . just knowing that you're there is enough," she said. Jasper looked up from the floor and into her eyes. She smiled at him, and he smiled back, though not completely; he was too confused and worried to be completely happy, though it was the happiest he had been for a long time.

Anouk's phone started ringing, but she ignored it for the first few rings, not looking away from Jasper. She eventually picked it up and looked at the caller ID. "It's my mom. I should get home."

"I'll walk with you."

"Okay."

They walked without talking for half of the way, just glancing at each other with small smiles as they walked through the dimly lit streets. Anouk couldn't help but notice that even in the darkness, the flawlessness of his skin was perfectly visible. The moonlight shone on his face casting shadows in the perfect places, accentuating his features.

He was beautiful. And Anouk couldn't make herself think about anything else except that.

"Why were you in the forest?" he asked suddenly, furrowing his brow in confusion. Had his voice always been that smooth? She could have melted. How was she expected to answer?

"Wh- what?"

"Why were you in the forest?" he said, smirking.

She blushed a little. "Oh right." She quickly composed herself. "I followed a little girl." Anouk's eyes suddenly went wide. "Oh no! The little girl was in the forest when that other vampire ran off! What if the little girl got hurt?!"

Jasper, sensing her panic, sent her a burst of calmness. She sighed and shook her head. "I'm sure she'll be fine," Jasper said, though he didn't believe it himself. The little girl was surely sucked dry.

But Anouk didn't know that. She sighed again, and Jasper felt her relax. "So, can I finish asking you questions now?" she asked, smiling.

Jasper smirked. "If I can ask you some, too."

Anouk grinned and nodded. She thought for a second before asking, "So, you're not burned by the sun, you don't have to drink blood from a vampire to become one, you don't sleep in a coffin . . . did the movies get anything right?"

Jasper chuckled. "Well, at least they got that we drink blood."

Anouk chuckled once. "Can you—"

"My turn," Jasper said, cutting her off. She nodded at him to continue. "How did you figure it out?"

She let out a breath and blushed a little. Jasper stared at her. Her blush still amazed him, even in the dim lighting. "My mom was watching _Interview with a Vampire . . ._" Jasper threw his head back and laughed. Anouk stared at him; this had been the first time she had heard him actually laugh. It was musical, and she found herself wishing he would laugh more. He stopped laughing and looked at her.

"What?"

"Nothing, nothing," she said looking away. "Anyway, I was watching it with my mom and then I decided that you could be a vampire, because I'd considered everything else . . ." She chuckled at herself. "Can you see your reflection?"

"Of course," Jasper chuckled.

They continued like that all the way to Anouk's house, earning a few laughs and blushes along the way. When they arrived at her house, Anouk didn't want to go in. She'd rather stay outside and talk with him more. She'd rather stay with him right now than do anything.

"You know, one time I was a vampire for Halloween," she said, grinning, and rocking back and forth on the balls of her feet when they stopped walking. "Maybe I knew I'd meet some someday."

Jasper smiled but it quickly faded as his eyebrows pulled together and he glanced toward the house. "Your mom is worried. Again."

"She's always worried." Anouk didn't take her eyes off Jasper as he shook his head slightly, relaxing his muscles. "How do you know that she's worried?"

Jasper looked at her, tense again. "I can sense and control the emotions of others."

"That's . . . useful," Anouk commented.

Jasper shook his head. "It can get annoying sometimes. I don't like to use it much."

"So all that time, you knew how I was feeling?" she whispered. Jasper nodded slowly. "Wow. Must be hard to lie to you."

"It's harder to lie to Edward."

"Why?"

"He can read minds."

"What?!" she exclaimed, but quickly covered her mouth, looking nervously to the front door. "He can read minds?"

"Yes," Jasper chuckled. "And Alice can see the future."

Anouk was silent for a moment as she took all this in. Alice could see the future; she must have known what was coming between her and Jasper. And Edward knew what she was thinking about him. And Jasper knew what she felt. The. Whole. Time. She blushed a little as she realized that even though she had never told anyone about what she had been going through the past couple weeks, it had been far from secret.

It was too weird. Like a freaking circus.

"You should really go in now. Your mom might go searching for you soon," Jasper's deep voice said, interrupting her thoughts.

Go in? But then he would leave. "But . . . I don't want to," she said, almost pleadingly. "I still have some questions, and . . . and don't you? And . . . and . . ."

Jasper licked his lip quickly and smiled at her, which instantly shut her up. He _had_ to know the affect he had on her.

"Your mother is worried about you, and I'm sure Carlisle and Esme need to speak to me," Jasper said, smiling. Anouk bit her lip and looked at the ground, disappointed. "Don't worry though. I'm not going anywhere . . . I'll see you tomorrow."

She smiled up at him and nodded, not quite believing that this was truly happening.

"Goodnight," he said her softly, and she waved at him slightly, still biting her lip, but smiling. She turned and walked towards the front door, smiling to herself.

Jasper Hale. Wanted to be with her. Was with her. A couple. With Jasper Hale. A vampire.

"It's just unreal," she whispered to herself as she opened the door and stepped inside. She slowly took off her shoes and coat by the door, still thinking about how amazing it was. How amazing he was.

"There you are, Anouk!" her mother said as she ran up to Anouk, hugging her. "I was worried about you. You should have been home a long time ago."

"I'm sorry, Mom," Anouk said, still focused on the image of Jasper in her head. She grinned at her mother. "It won't happen again."

Her mother looked at her suspiciously. "What took you so long?"

Anouk practically floated past her mother towards the stairs. "Just walked slowly," she said simply.

"Oh, Anouk," her mother practically whined. Anouk stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned towards her mom, looking at her curiously. "It's a boy isn't it?"

Anouk smiled and rolled her eyes at her mother as she climbed the stairs to her room where she immediately laid on her bed, still thinking about him.

How could someone as perfect as him want someone as weak and imperfect as her? Apparently, all vampires were gorgeous, and he could have any model-like vampire he wanted. But he wanted her.

And he had her.

**~.~.~.~.~**

_**Really important. Please read: **_

**Okay so, I hoped you liked this chapter. I thought I would, but I didn't like it much . . . **

**So, yeah, review please so I can stay motivated. **

**Tell me your favorite line.**

**Your favorite chapter. **

**What you like about Anouk. What you don't like about her.**

**What songs you think about when reading each chapter. **

**Suggestions. What you want to happen next. That sort of thing. Please?**

**For those of you who want to see what happens with Jared . . . It's in the next chapter!**

_**OH AND IF YOU WANT, GIVE ME A LINE YOU WANT SOMEONE TO SAY TO SOMEONE ELSE, AND MAYBE I'LL PUT IT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER.**_

**For example. **

**You review saying "put this line. "You are a biotch, you biotch"**

**And I put it in the next chapter (maybe) like this. "Rosalie took a step towards Alice, glaring at her. "You are a freak, Alice," Rosalie said, evilly.**

"**You are a biotch, you biotch!" ALice called back before slapping Rosalie across the face. "**

**(the above really isn't in the story. Just an example.)**


	9. Go With the Flow

**Alright. I know I am in big trouble with you guys. I am so sorry about the horrifically long wait. I've had a lot of stuff going on with school and myself lately, and I've really been trying to get everything sorted out. So please Enjoy this chapter**

**~.~.~.~.~**

Anouk woke up the next morning slightly dazed. She was still in her clothes from the night before – her sweaty and mismatched shorts with tights underneath and T-shirt—and her hair was stuck to the side of her face. As soon as she figured out where she was, she shot out of bed (which was still neatly made) and ran to the full-length mirror that hung on the back of her closet door.

She looked at herself, slightly shocked. Not at her reflection, but at the fact that the previous night had _not_, no matter how much it seemed like it could have been, been a dream.

It really happened. She and Jasper were together. Officially an 'item', as Jessica would say.

This was the first relationship Anouk had ever been in. And it was with a vampire.

"A perfect vampire," Anouk mumbled as she ran her hands through her hair, trying to get it to stop sticking up in certain places. When she decided she fixed it as much as she could, she sighed and opened the closet door, rummaging through her clothes to find something decent to wear.

She paused. What should she wear? She wanted Jasper to think she looked good. . . _But he didn't seem to mind my dance clothes . . . plus I doubt that sort of thing matters to him . . . _she thought to herself.

Still, she didn't want to look like a slob next to his perfect self. She had to get as close as she could to his perfection.

After emptying all her clothes onto the floor of her bedroom, she settled on some light grey skinny jeans and a charcoal sweater. She pulled on an off white blazer. She looked at herself in the mirror and grimaced.

She looked so plain. At least she would next to Jasper.

She opened her closet door and pulled out a pink scarf and wrapped it lazily around her neck.

"Well, I suppose it's as good as it's going to get," she muttered, frowning slightly. She pulled on a fresh pair of socks and opened the door to walk downstairs. Anouk gasped when she saw her mother standing in her doorway, getting ready to knock.

"Oh, sweetie, you're late!" she exclaimed. Anouk raised her eyebrows and dove across her bed to snatch her phone. She looked at the time. 7:57.

School started in three minutes. And she didn't even have her shoes on. Anouk grabbed her book bag from the floor, before racing downstairs to put her boots on, nearly falling over in the process.

"Here, take the car," her mother said, throwing her the keys. Anouk caught them as she slid her foot into her boot.

"Bye!" she called before running out the door. She smoothed out her jacket as she walked to the black Jeep Grand Cherokee her mother drove. She looked up from her jacket and nearly dropped the keys to the car.

Leaning up against a shiny, silver, new BMW M3, smirking slightly at Anouk was Jasper.

"U- uhh—Hi," she stuttered, blinking a few times.

Jasper's smirk became more pronounced and he nodded. "Hello."

Anouk let out a breath, laughing slightly. "What are you . . .?"

"Let's go get some coffee," he said as he nodded for her to follow him.

Anouk smiled unsurely as she ran her hand through her hair, just in case she hadn't smoothed it out enough. "School starts in like . . . thirty seconds," she practically whispered as she looked at him with an amused expression.

"I know," Jasper said, returning the look. "And there is a coffee shop in Port Angeles where you can get a bagel or something to eat, too."

Anouk looked at him with narrowed eyes, smiling. "Okay," she agreed, slightly dazed. She began walking over to his car, but stopped when she remembered her mom. "Wait, let's take this car. My mom thinks I'm taking it to school."

Jasper nodded and walked over to Anouk, and taking the keys out of her hands, gently guided her to the passenger side of the car. He opened the door for her and gestured for her to get in.

"Okay, you drive," she agreed as she sat down and he smirked as he shut the door. He appeared on the driver's side, and smoothly got in. He started it, and turned around before driving down her driveway and pulling into the street. Anouk watched him still dazed, though now amused as well.

They didn't talk on the way to Port Angeles, but it was anything but awkward, and though Anouk usually drove pretty fast , she had to admit she was slightly intimidated when she looked at the speedometer and realized they were going much faster than Anouk thought her mom's car could handle.

They eventually pulled up to a cozy coffee shop that was connected to a small bookstore. Before Anouk had finished taking off her seatbelt, Jasper had opened her door for her. Anouk blushed slightly as she stepped out.

Was it fair that her first boyfriend was a perfect gentleman?

Jasper smiled at her as he motioned for her to follow him, and side-by-side, they stepped into the warm shop. There weren't many people—something very unusual for a coffee shop at 8:45 in the morning—and Jasper led her to a two-person table near the back corner.

Anouk smiled at him before looking at the board that had written everything they served. Anouk decided on getting a vanilla latte and a cranberry muffin. Cranberry muffins reminded her of her _grandmére_—she sent Anouk and her mother them often from France.

"Hey! I'm Lana," the waitress said as she approached their table. "What could I get for ya?"

Anouk opened her mouth to order but it was Jasper who spoke. "She'll have a vanilla latte and a cranberry muffin, please," he told her. The waitress wrote it down and smiled before walking away. Anouk looked at Jasper with raised eyebrows.

Jasper chuckled. "Alice," he told her. Anouk didn't understand at first, but then remembered that Alice could see the future. Anouk chuckled too, and nodded. "Did you sleep well?"

Anouk smiled at him and nodded. "I was pretty tired. I fell right asleep. I didn't even change my clothes or eat dinner. Which is why I probably look a mess right now," she chuckled.

Jasper smiled and shook his head. "You look wonderful."

Anouk blushed and laughed once quietly dropping her gaze for a moment before looking back into his butterscotch eyes. God, HE looked wonderful. Had his hair always been so perfectly messy, like he had just run his hand through it?

Lana the waitress soon brought Anouk her coffee and muffin, and Jasper and her chatted while she finished eating. Anouk tried so hard to absorb everything he said to remember his thoughts, to remember his voice. Why wouldn't she want to; everything he said came out in his smooth baritone voice. Which was perfect. Especially when that accent slipped . . . it was subtle though, only apparent when he said certain words. She loved it.

They continued walking through the downtown area of Port Angeles. They talked a lot, mostly asking each other questions. Anouk wanted to know about his vampirism, but knew she couldn't exactly say, "So since you are a vampire, do you do this," in the middle of a crowded shop, so they settle for a code.

"I thought _blueberry muffins_ had fangs," Anouk joked, laughing at the ridiculous code word. She mentally shrugged; it had been the first thing she saw.

"Yours are bigger than mine," Jasper joked back and Anouk glared at him playfully.

"I _do not_ have fangs!"

Anouk didn't realize that she was hungry until she saw what time it was. It was nearly two o' clock when she saw the time. Seeing her look at the clock, Jasper also looked at it, and sighed. " Well, I suppose we should go back." They started walking towards the car when Anouk's stomach grumbled, making her blush, and they both laughed. "Perhaps we should get you something to eat first."

After eating they set off on there quick drive home. Very quick drive home. Anouk was sure her mom's car was going to fall apart at any second. They pulled into Anouk's driveway and Jasper opened her door for her. They looked at each other smiling for a moment.

"I—" Anouk began but stopped when her mother pulled up in her coworker, Dave's car.

She got out of the car, already talking to Anouk. "I thought I would beat you home," she laughed. She looked up at her daughter, standing next to Jasper, and pursed her lips for a second. "Oh. Hello."

"Hello," Jasper responded, slightly amused. He was about to introduce himself but was cut off.

"Anouk. Bring in the groceries, please. And then clean your room. And then do your homework. And then you need to . . ." her mother said as she walked to the trunk of the car and unlocked it. Anouk almost rolled her eyes. Her mother was trying to keep her busy because she didn't want her to be hanging out with a _guy. _"You need to do the dishes."

"Okay," Anouk said, forcing a smile. Her mother didn't show signs of leaving into the house, so Anouk turned to Jasper and smiled apologetically. "See you tomorrow."

Anouk walked over to her mother and picked up the two grocery bags she had in the trunk as Jasper walked towards his car. He glanced back at her and smiled at her, nearly making Anouk drop the groceries.

Anouk did everything her mother told her to do. Cleaned her room, did her homework, and did the dishes. They were now sitting at the dinner table, eating silently the nutritious meal her mother had made.

"I got a call from the school today . . ." her mother said. "They said you weren't in school today. But I told them it was a mistake. I saw you drive you school. You went didn't you?"

Anouk looked up at her mother, and forced a smile. "Have I ever ditched before?"

Her mother smiled back, though Anouk felt it was just as forced as hers was. "No. No you haven't."

Anouk's phone vibrated and she took it out of her back pocket. Flipping it open, she saw she had a text message. From Jared.

_Hey, movie Saturday? 5:30? Sound good?_

Anouk started choking on the bite of food she had in her mouth. She quickly grabbed her water and took a sip of it to help her stop coughing.

She had forgotten about Jared.

And she couldn't cancel on him! That wouldn't be nice to do to him. .. so she reluctantly pushed the respond button and texted back: _Sounds like a plan._

She felt like she was doing something wrong . . . she would tell Jasper tomorrow that she was hanging out with Jared on Saturday. That should make her feel a little better.

If only one person thought they were on a date, did it count as one?

Anouk excused herself and put her dishes in the sink before rushing upstairs. She sat on her window seat, looking distractedly out the window. She felt horrible for agreeing to go out with Jared. She was just leading him on. But it would come and pass quickly enough. Then she never had to deal with this again.

Anouk was brought out of her thoughts when she saw someone outside in the backyard. When she saw whom it was she jumped up and stared out the window, shocked.

It was the little girl. And she was grinning up at Anouk happily, though it had a sort of creepy edge to it.

Anouk rushed down the stairs and outside, not bothering with her shoes. She ran up to the girl, and she smiled at Anouk.

"You're okay," Anouk said, slightly relieved. Anouk looked confusedly at the girl. "Who are you?"

The girl giggled and twirled around. "My name's Anouk! I like to dance!" she laughed. Anouk narrowed her eyes. Was this some sort of joke? "And I'm in big, big trouble," she added darkly, though she was still smiling.

"What?" Anouk said, more to herself than the girl. "That's not your name, it's mine. What's you real name?"

"Annelise," she whispered. "But SHH! It's a secret, okay?"

"I'm in big trouble?" Anouk asked. "With who?

Annelise put she finger to her lips and shushed again. "It's a secret!" Annelise was about to run into the woods again, but Anouk grabbed her arm and started pulling her towards the house.

"You can't go in there. I'm going to take you home, okay?" Anouk said, looking at Annelise in the eyes.

"That is my home!" she shouted. "Let me go!"

"I can't let you go in there! There are dangerous things there!" Anouk threw her arms theatrically into the air, her eyes wide. "Monsters!"

"Nuh uh!" the girl said stubbornly before trying to break free of Anouk's grip. "Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" As the girl yelled, Anouk looked back to the house cautiously, afraid her mother would get angry about the noise.

Annelise's struggles did not loosen Anouk's grip, and they continued towards the house. "NO!" she shouted. Anouk looked down at her in time to see her sink her teeth into Anouk's arm.

"OW!" Anouk shouted, letting go Annelise to hold her arm. Annelise ran into the trees before Anouk could stop her. Anouk made a face after her as she disappeared into the darkness before turning her attention to her arm, which now had little teeth marks in it.

Looking to the trees again before turning around, Anouk walked back to her house, shaking her arm out as she did so.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Anouk was only slightly uncomfortable with the stares as they entered Calculus together the next day. She was preoccupied thinking about what had happened the previous night to worry about what the others thought.

Jasper watched her as they sat down; Anouk was concentrating very hard, and didn't notice the worried glances Jasper was giving her.

"What's bothering you?" he asked her quietly. She turned him unsmiling.

"Nothing," she lied. Jasper raised an eyebrow at Anouk.

"I know something's bothering you. You can't lie to me about that," he reminded her.

Anouk sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "It's nothing, really," she said. "I'm just being silly."

"What is it?" he asked her seriously.

"Well," Anouk chuckled. "Last night, that little girl came by again . . . she said I was in big trouble."

Jasper looked at her seriously for a moment. "Did you take her home?"

"No. She ran away from me," Anouk explained. She shook her head. "It was weird. She said her home was in the woods."

Mr. Dosee came in then, and shut the door as the bell rang, ending their conversation for now. They didn't speak again until halfway through the class.

"That's not all that was bothering you," Jasper stated as they copied down the example problem from the board. Anouk turned to him. She figured she might as well tell him about Jared now instead of hiding it from him (like she would be able to anyways). She just hoped he wouldn't get too angry. Maybe this was also a silly thing to worry about. It's not like the "date" actually meant anything. It was more like two friends hanging out. Surely Jasper would understand that immediately. After all, he was a very understanding guy, right?

"Anouk?" he asked quietly. Anouk shook her head. She must have dazed off.

"Right," she said, smiling at him. "Well, it's kind of a silly thing, too . . ."

"Just tell me," he said, clearly amused.

"Alright . . ." she said slightly hesitantly. So slightly that she doubted anyone _but_ him wouldn't have caught it. "Well, earlier this week I kind of said I would go to the movies with this guy . . ."

Anouk watched Jasper for any reaction. She got none. He just sat there, frozen in the same position. "Like a date?" he asked.

"Well, no . . ." she drawled. "More like two friends hanging out. You know. Plus, we weren't together when he asked. Anyways, The only reason I said I'd go is because you were being so confusing. So . . . yeah. I thought I should tell you."

Jasper laughed. Anouk chuckled and hoped he couldn't sense her relief too much. But at least he wasn't mad. Now she could go to the stupid movie with Jared and get it over with, and be done with it.

The bell rang and Anouk packed up her things. She still was sort of dreading the movies. She didn't want to lead Jared on. But maybe the movies were a perfect time to show him that they were JUST FRIENDS.

Jasper and Anouk said their goodbyes as Anouk turned into her next class. Several people from her previously class watched her again as she walked in, but she ignored them as best as she could.

It went without saying that Anouk and Jasper would keep on the down low about their relationship. So far, they weren't doing such a spectacular job with that, but that was alright. As long as people didn't see them being a couple, that was fine with Anouk. She didn't want that sort of attention. It was private business, wasn't it?

So, sticking to that plan, Anouk sat at her usual table, and Jasper sat at his at lunch. It was harder than she thought not to look over at him every few seconds, and it appeared to be just as difficult for him as well, much to Anouk's surprise. Why he liked her still amazed Anouk.

The minutes passed, then hours, and at the end of the day when Anouk looked back, it seemed that the only thing she thought about all day was Jasper. Nothing her teachers or friends said had stuck in her head . . . maybe that wasn't such a good thing, but she didn't care, really.

Before she knew it, that Friday had turned to Saturday. And Anouk was dreading 5:30.

**~.~.~.~.~**

**Please Read**

**This chapter was originally supposed to be longer and include her date with Jared, but I wanted to get something out, and this was all I had, so the next part to the chapter will be coming soon . . . hopefully.**

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	10. Hysteria

**Please please please please forgive me for the LONGEST WAIT EVER. I was extremely busy with school, and then summer college classes, and just tons of other things! I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, so please stay with me! **

**There was originally supposed to be a lot more to this chapter, but I wante to get it out to you guys . . . I hope that is okay! Message me or leave a comment if you want to ask me any questions! Or anything, really!**

**Enjoy!**

**~.~.~.~.~**

The last time she had seen Jared, which was when he had given her a ride home, she had really enjoyed his company. He was a really nice guy, and even was sorta funny. It wasn't that Anouk didn't like him. That wasn't it at all. She would rather just be hanging out with someone else.

Someone paler.

Someone blonder.

Someone more _dangerous._

Anouk snorted. Someone more dangerous? Seriously? She was sitting on the counter of the sink in the girls' bathroom at the movie theater in Port Angeles. Jared had taken her to see some movie about some British people or something; she wasn't really paying attention. She had excused herself to go to the restroom when Jared kept looking at her out of the corner of her eye.

And now that's where she sat. She knew she couldn't sit in there for the rest of the movie, but she was planning on sitting in there for a little while longer.

Something vibrated in her pocket and Anouk silently wished it were Jasper before pulling her phone out of her jeans. It was a text message.

**Bored?**

Anouk smiled and looked up to the ceiling, thanking whoever had just granted her wish. Instead of hitting the reply button, Anouk hit the call button, and put her phone up to her ear as it dialed the number.

"I'm assuming you _are_ bored, then?" a deep voice answered on the other line after just one ring.

"Not bored," Anouk said smiling into the phone. "Just . . . preoccupied with my own thoughts."

"What are you doing?"

"Seeing a movie."

"What movie?"

Anouk paused as she tried to remember the name of the movie she was trying to pay attention to. "I have no idea. There are a lot of accents, though."

There was a deep laugh on the other end, and Anouk bit her lip when she heard it. Such an alluring voice. "You really _are_ preoccupied."

Anouk giggled slightly and sighed. What wouldn't she do to be with him right now instead of being stuck all the way in Port Angeles with _Jared._ Not that there was anything wrong with him.

"Why is it so echo-y?" Jasper questioned. Anouk looked at her knees, confused.

"I didn't even say anything."

Another laugh. "I can hear you breathing."

"Oh," Anouk chuckled. "Right. I forgot about your super-hearing. I'm in the bathroom."

Silence. Anouk waited for a response but didn't get one. She started a little.

"_Sitting on the sink_ in the bathroom," she specified, blushing.

"I figured."

Anouk smiled and resisted the urge to sigh again. She could really listen to him talk for hours. He voice was so smooth and entrancing. Every time he said something, he left Anouk hanging on his word, just wanting him so keep talking so she could hear his voice. She glanced at the clock on the wall and nearly groaned. "I'd better go before Jared thinks I fell down the toilet," she sighed.

Jasper chuckled. "Alright. See you later."

"Bye," Anouk said, slightly breathlessly before hanging up the phone and jumping off the counter. She looked in the mirror and ran her hand through her hair. The fluorescent lighting shone off it, making it look slightly blue where the light hit it. She never really noticed her hair was _that_ dark.

She shook her head and walked out of the bathroom. She walked towards the theater across the building. She stopped as she passed the concession stand, deciding she wanted some Milk Duds.

She made her way down the row in the dark to her seat next to Jared after she had bought her Milk Duds. She'd stepped on someone's feet and nearly fell on this one bald man on her way there.

"I got some Milk Duds. Do you want some?" Anouk asked politely once she sat down.

"Sure," Jared whispered, and she dumped some into his hand. He smiled brightly at her, and Anouk forced a smile back. She turned her attention to the movie, hoping he would follow suit. He did, and Anouk sighed in relief mentally. She wouldn't have been able to stand it if he kept looking at her.

"Where's Lucille?" the tall man on the screen asked his companion.

"I left her in William's apartment," he replied. Anouk had no idea what was going on, but she didn't dare tune the movie out. She was afraid Jared would notice.

The tall man let out a yell of frustration and hit his fist hard against the wall. "That's where _they're _going!" he yelled dramatically. Anouk didn't know who _they_ were, but she doubted they were the good guys. "They're going to kill her."

Anouk's phone vibrated in her pocket again, but she ignored it. She couldn't wait to be out of there and at home, where she could talk to Jasper. How could he be so amazingly perfect, she wondered.

She tried so hard to picture his face as it really was, but she had a feeling she wasn't doing it any justice. He was so . . .

"Gorgeous," said a woman on the screen. Anouk focused on the screen again. She was holding a knife to another woman's neck, smiling evilly at her. "You really are quite pretty. Too bad," she said, feigning sadness.

Anouk rested her chin on the seat in front of her. No one was sitting there.

_Yes. He is just so gorgeous,_ Anouk thought. _Couldn't have said it better myself. _

She let her mind drift to more thoughts of Jasper. She blinked slowly, keeping her eyes closed as she thought about his voice. She really did love it. Especially when that accent slipped through.

She opened her eyes and looked at the seat next to her, which had been empty, the last time she checked. So she was slightly shocked to see someone sitting next to her, smiling warmly.

Anouk grinned and leaned back in her seat so their faces were closer. "Thought I'd visit you," he whispered, answering he unasked question. He shrugged. "Can't get you off my mind."

_Right back at you,_ Anouk thought, though she was finding it difficult to form words so she kept her mouth set in a grin. Even in the darkness of the movie theater, he was breath taking.

He had a sort of boyish charm about him, though he was still quite manly. The way his eyes crinkled slightly when he smiled, or maybe it was just the way he smiled . . . _really_ smiled, anyways. This was really the first time she had seen him flash a smile that reached his eyes.

He brought his hand up to her face and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb, and Anouk closed her eyes at the touch. He had soft skin.

She was a little confused . . . hadn't touching been off-limits?

His thumb brushed across her cheek again, and she didn't care what he said earlier about touching. He brought his other hand up to the other side of her face, gently tilting it to the side, exposing her neck fully. She took a shaky breath as he moved closer to her and she felt his breath on her neck. He paused before moving any closer, and Anouk's eyes closed and she sighed as Jasper gently pressed his lips onto the side of her neck.

He pulled away, but Anouk didn't open her eyes. She felt weak in the knees . . . even though she was sitting. She had officially turned to mush.

"Anouk."

"Hmm?" she replied softly.

"Anouk?"

Anouk's eyebrows pulled together, though her eyes remained shut. That wasn't the right voice. Anouk slowly opened her eyes and looked around. Jasper was nowhere to be seen. She turned around and looked at Jared, who was smiling at her, looking very amused.

"Did you doze off?" he laughed quietly.

"No . . . just day dreaming I guess . . ." she whispered with a tinge of sadness. She sighed and leaned back in her seat. She tried to focus on the movie now . . . she didn't want to have another daydream only to be disappointed that he wasn't really there.

She sighed as she shifted and brought her legs up onto the seat. She tried to stop thinking about Jasper so that she could pay attention to the movie, though she was beginning to feel like that was impossible.

Someone on the screen just got shot. Anouk jumped slightly at the noise, and let out a breath. She heard Jared chuckle and she glared at him playfully. Sitting all the way back in her chair, she ran her hand through her hair.

The movie finally got her attention when an action-packed scene came on. People were shooting and stabbing each other, and Anouk was really enjoying it, until she felt someone tug on her hair. They had picked up a few curly locks, and Anouk stiffened as she heard the person smell it.

Suddenly scared, Anouk began to turn around slowly, but when she looked around, no one was behind her. No one was even in that row. Anouk let out a shaky breath and looked around the theater.

All around the dark room, people were watching the movie with different expressions; a few people looked bored, a few sat with wide eyes staring unblinkingly at the screen. There was even a young couple making out in the back row. But there was one woman who wasn't watching the movie at all.

Anouk's eyes locked the a woman who was staring at _her,_ and her breaths started getting harder and shallower. The woman's long black hair shone red where the light hit it, which made her red eyes stand out even more as she smirked at Anouk.

Anouk turned back around slowly, her heart pounding in her ears. It was the woman from the woods. She couldn't catch her breath, and every movement she made was in slow motion as she glanced again at the woman, who was now grinning.

Anouk swallowed as she gripped Jared's arm with all her strength. Jared turned to her, worried.

"Anouk?" he whispered. "What's wrong?"

Anouk shook her head slightly and closed her eyes. This couldn't be happening. She didn't stand a chance against a vampire without Jasper. And yet here she was, the vampire that had tried to eat her in the woods! Anouk panicked mentally. What should she do?!

"I have to get out," she whispered, barely audible. She stood and quickly made her way out of the row, knocking over several people's popcorn in the process.

"Anouk? What—" but Anouk didn't listen as she bolted out of the theater. She stood in the lobby, looking around at the staff sweeping or chatting about nothing. She was still breathing heavily.

_Anouk . . . Anouk! _She heard a smooth woman's voice call and then laugh as Anouk looked around frantically. No one else seemed to hear it, and Anouk began to panic.

The walls around her started to beat in time with her heart, with each beat they came in closer and closer and closer, as the voice continued to call her with a sinister yet smooth sound

She looked at each person who was in the lobby, mostly just the staff, though the room was spinning. Everyone was staring at her, glowing red eyes wide with amusement as they advanced on her with grins.

"Run, Annie! Run!" the woman laughed and Anouk didn't think twice about it. She bolted out of the theater as fast as her legs would carry her. When she was outside on the sidewalk, she quickly glanced in both directions to see if anyone was coming.

What she saw terrified her. The buildings around her were crumbling to the ground, as if they were being crushed or pushed over by a giant. As the buildings nearer to her fell, Anouk thought she wouldn't be able to get out of there alive for she was paralyzed with fear. But eventually she was able make her legs move, and she ran in the opposite direction of the crumbling buildings, her heart pounding in her ears.

She turned down an alley and ran to the end of it. It was a dead end. Anouk gasped and turned around so that her back was to the wall. All the walls were getting closer and closer together, enclosing her in what would be a box and she sank to the ground as her legs had given out. Anouk tried to breathe but it was proving difficult to catch her breath.

Something gripped her shoulders, and Anouk closed her eyes tightly, though some tears managed to make their way through.

"Anouk! Anouk!" the woman's voice called, but there was another voice behind it. Anouk tried to push whatever was holding her away, and she called out, though it wasn't coherent due to her hysterics.

"Anouk!" A wave of calm washed over her and she slowly opened her eyes as she took a few deep, shaky breaths. Jasper was watching her with a concerned expression, holding her shoulders securely yet gently. "Anouk, what's wrong?" he asked quietly and hurriedly.

"I—I . . .," she choked out, still not able to complete a coherent sentence. She looked around the alley, very confused. The walls had been closing in on her, and all the buildings had been crumbling, but now it looked as if nothing had even happened.

"Are you hurt?" Jasper asked, not taking his eyes off Anouk, though she was still looking around.

She took some more deep breaths and examined herself quickly. She closed her eyes for a moment and shook her head. Anouk felt another ripple of calmness and her breaths became more even, though still heavy.

After a couple breaths, the numbness she felt was gone, and she choke back a sob as a tear slipped down her cheek. Jasper quickly yet gently wiped it away, still watching her with concern.

"Come on," Jasper said, helping her up. He dropped her hands as soon as she was standing, though he kept his hand on the small of her back, leading her gently toward the end of the alley.

His body suddenly stiffened, and a scowled appeared on his face. "You smell like dog," he half growled.

Anouk looked at him from the corner of her eye, too shook up to say anything to the insult. Why would he say something like that?

They reached the end of the alley, and began to approach Jasper's car that was parked next to the curb of the adjacent road. As they crossed the sidewalk, Jared came trotting towards them, a slightly panic-stricken expression on his face. Jasper growled and at the same time Jared noticed them, and got an angered expression himself.

"What did you do to her?" Jasper growled at Jared, and Anouk was slightly shocked to hear such a tone.

"Get away from her!" Jared exclaimed angrily, slightly shaking.

"Anouk," Jasper said calmly, though he was still glaring at Jared, unblinkingly, "get in the car."

Anouk opened her mouth to protest, but Jasper led her less gently to the passenger side of the car, opened the door, and ushered her inside, still being careful. He shut the door with some force and walked swiftly up to Jared, who was glaring at jasper with such a look of anger that Anouk though he might explode at any second.

"I should rip you head off," Jared said menacingly.

Jasper continued to look him in the eye. He looked equally menacing, though he was much more calm and collected. "I'd like to see you try, pup."

"If you hurt her. . ." Jared said low and menacingly, and Jasper glared.

"Apparently it's not in _my_ company that she get's hurt in, but _yours."_ Jasper took a step away and looked Jared over. "Stay away from me _and_ Anouk. I don't want to see you near her ever again."

Before Jared could respond, Jasper was getting smoothly into the driver's side of the car. Jasper watched Anouk as he pulled into the street; she was looking out the window though Jasper knew she wasn't really seeing anything. He could feel the distress overwhelming her and he tried to get her to calm down, though it was proving difficult.

What ever had just happened, it definitely scared Anouk out of her wits.

Looking at Anouk occasionally, Jasper drove quickly back to Forks and to Anouk's house. All the lights were off; her mother must have gone to bed already. Jasper turned off his car and got out, quickly rushing to the passenger side and helping Anouk out of the car.

The smell of her blood was strong, and tempting, pumping through her veins at an extraordinary rate; probably from what Jasper assumed was a panic attack. She had calmed down significantly now that they had reached her home, but Jasper hardly dared to breathe. He was too close too risk it, and no one was here to stop him from doing anything to her.

He led her cautiously up the front porch and reached for the handle of the dark wood door. As he assumed, it was locked. "Anouk, do you have a key?" he asked quietly.

She only nodded and bent down to retrieve a spare key from underneath a welcome mat. She didn't attempt to open the door herself (her hand was shaking) but instead dropped the key into Jasper's hand. Keeping one hand on the small of her back, Jasper unlocked and opened Anouk's front door before leading her inside.

A gust of Anouk's scent blew at his face, and Jasper knew he had to get out of there as soon as possible. He led her quickly up the stairs in the darkness and into her room. He finally flicked on her light, and as he did so, Anouk stepped away from him and took her coat off as she stared at the floor blankly. She threw the coat into the corner and crawled onto her bed, sitting in the middle of it.

Jasper watched her carefully as she took a breath and ran a hand through her hair, looking at different places in the room.

Jasper wondered if he should say something to her, or let her completely calm down first.

"Anouk, are you okay?" he said somewhat lamely.

She looked at him and licked her lips. "I think so . . ." she said quietly. "I'm confused."

"I know."

Silence fell over them as they looked at each other meaningfully. Jasper inhaled and was overcome with Anouk's scent. "I have to go," he said and made his way towards the window. He opened it and looked out, about to make his departure.

"Jasper," she said hoarsely and Jasper turned around. Anouk looked at him with eyes full of panic, and Jasper felt the confusion and fear radiating from her.

"What is it?" he asked hurriedly and worriedly.

For a moment it looked as if she was going to cry, but she closed her eyes and swallowed before answering. "What is going on? Why is this happening to me?" she asked, her voice cracking. She looked down at her folded hands, breathing deeply.

Jasper stepped away from the window and kneeled by Anouk's bed, looking at Anouk's lowered face. "Why is what happening?" he asked, stilled in a hushed tone.

She looked up at him and bit her lip, her eyes getting glassy. "It was her," she sobbed. "The vampire from the forest; she was there in the theater."

"What?" he asked seriously, his eyes getting wider. Anouk was crying now, from fear, and Jasper knew that any shock she was experiencing was gone now, and she could comprehend what had happened.

"I saw her in the theater, and I-I didn't know what to do," Anouk continued. "So I just ran." Anouk opened her mouth as if to say something else but closed it and shrugged not knowing what else to say. She looked away as she ran a hand through her hair again and took a shaky breath. "I just don't get what she wants from me!"

Jasper sat down on the edge of her bed, careful to hold his breath. It was getting significantly more difficult to be control the intense burning in his throat, and he knew that if he stayed much longer he would a danger to Anouk. Despite the difficulty, he placed his hand gently on her shoulder, barely touching her. Anouk turned to him and looked at him, trouble.

She must have seen the strained expression his face because she shook her head and said, "Go. You're not comfortable."

"I want to stay with you," he said, though he knew that was out of the question.

"I'm fine," she said firmly, determined to convince both Jasper and herself. She nodded. "We'll just . . . see each other tomorrow, and . . . and . . ." She trailed off.

Jasper looked at her hesitantly for a moment without moving before nodding and slowing getting up from the bed. He walked again to the window and placed a hand on the side, as if ready to jump out. He turned around to her again. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you."

Anouk tried to smile, and nodded, looking around the room as she ran her hand through her hair yet again. When she looked back to the window, he was gone. She sighed and got off the bed, stripping off her clothed before crawling in to bed and drifting to an uneasy sleep.

**~.~.~.~.~**

**There you go! I hope you liked it, as it didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it . . . but oh well. **

**Here are some responses to reviews:**

**AlinaLotus****: Jasper and Alice seem like just brother and sister because that is indeed what they are! There will be something later in the story about that.**

**supercalifragilistic-of-doom****: ****Thank you so much! I am so glad you like the story, and I am very flattered that you feel that way about my writing!**

**To everyone who gave me some lines or ideas****: MUCH APPRECIATED! There were some good ideas and I am sure I am going to use some soon! When I do, I will definitely let the world know who gave me the idea! Let credit be give where it should, I always say. Not really. But seriously.**

**If ANYONE has any ideas, or a line, put it in the comments, because I am making a list of the ones that I would like to use!**

**Thanks, folks!**


	11. Take It Or Leave It

**Yo. So I am SOOOO sorry about the long long wait! I have been unbelievably busy, and unfortunately, this story is at the bottom of mmy priority list at the moment. At the end there will be some responses to reviews :)**

**Be warned, this chapter may be a bit boring. Bear with me. I wanted to get the chapter out to you. Hopefully I will be able to get the next chapter out faster.**

**~.~.~.~.~**

The curser on the blank Word document blinked as Anouk bit her lip and stared at the screen, trying to start her _Catcher in the Rye_ essay. It was odd, on Friday she had known exactly what she was going to write and had the whole thing outlined in her head and now she couldn't even think of the first sentence.

Anouk's door opened and she jumped as her mother popped her head in. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, sweetheart," her mother said kindly. "You've been rather jumpy this weekend."

"Have I?" she said softly, still watching the computer screen. She couldn't imagine _why _she would be jumpy . . . except for the fact that she almost got eaten by a vampire on Friday night. But how was she to explain that to her mother?

Her mother looked at her worriedly, but said nothing to acknowledge it. "I've made ravioli for dinner," she said, as if bribing Anouk to come downstairs. "It's your favorite, isn't it?"

"Thanks, Mom," Anouk said, forcing a smile at her mother. "But I have to finish this essay. It's due tomorrow."

"Oh," her mother said, defeated. "Well, I'll save you some. . ." she softly shut the door and Anouk heard her walk down the hall and down the stairs.

Anouk turned back to the screen. "You can come back in now," she said.

In a second Jasper was sitting on the desk next to her computer, watching Anouk as she picked at her nails.

"I can see you're working extraordinarily hard on that essay," he said after a moment of silence.

Anouk looked up at him and half-smiled. "I don't have anything to say about the book."

"You don't have anything to say, or you're distracted with something else . . . scared?" he asked seriously, and Anouk rolled her eyes. All weekend he had been worried about her and rarely left her side, as if she would start freaking out if she was alone.

Which she might've. She was still rather shaken up, after all.

Jasper got down off the desk in one smooth movement and kneeled down beside her. "Edward thinks that the vampire that you saw has some sort of ability to make people hallucinate."

"That's interesting," Anouk said, completely uninterested. Jasper raised an eyebrow at her. She sighed. "Sorry. It's just . . ." A movement outside her window caught her and Jasper's attention, and Anouk stared outside, " . . . stressful . . ." She stood up and walked towards the window slowly, holding her breath. Jasper was right behind her. She reached for the latch on the window but Jasper stopped her.

"Let me." Anouk looked at him for a moment and nodded. He slowly opened it and looked outside. Anouk stuck her head out as well, but all there was the tree that had always been there. Jasper sighed and they went back into the room, shutting and locking the window.

"Well, so far this year has been the weirdest one of my life," she sighed. She looked back to her bed. "I think I am going to go to sleep now."

"What about your essay?" Jasper asked, smirking.

"I can get an extension. I hope . . ." she looked at Jasper, smiling, admiring his features for the millionth time that hour. They were close . . . probably the closest they had been that night, and Anouk could hardly contain herself from jumping all over him (though she tried to keep that emotion under control).

She was surprised when he took a step closer to her. They stared at each other as her breath caught in her throat. "Goodnight," he said so quietly that she barely heard it. He brought his hand to her face and pushed a piece of her hair out of the way before slowly tracing his hand to her neck and holding it there gently. Anouk leaned her head back a bit, almost so he was supporting her head with his hand, and Anouk struggled to keep her legs from collapsing. Without looking away, Jasper brought his face closer and closer and Anouk's breaths came faster and faster.

Just as their lips almost touched, Jasper dropped his hand and looked away, clearing his throat. Anouk looked away as well, taking a step back, trying to breathe normally.

Jasper nodded and went to open the window. "You could stay," Anouk said barely above a whisper.

Jasper looked at her and smiled slightly. "I shouldn't though."

Without looking at Jasper, Anouk nodded and climbed into her bed, lying down on her side to sleep, though all the lights were still on, and the computer screen was glowing brightly. Jasper chuckled slightly and walked smoothly to the light switch and turned it off, as well as the computer.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said, walking past her bed to the window yet again. "Sleep well."

"'Night," Anouk said softly, and Jasper was gone.

-.-.-.-

The Cullens were as awake as always, and calmly reading, writing, playing piano or video games as they always did when it came night. Jasper didn't feel much like talking to anyone right at the moment so he swiftly walked up the stairs and into his room.

Unfortunately, he wasn't going to get the solitude he wanted at the moment. Sitting on his couch was Alice, crossed-legged and smiling, though not as widely as she would have usually.

"Welcome home, stranger," she said happily. "I feel as if I've hardly seen you at all!"

Jasper half smiled and sat down beside her, saying nothing.

"How is she?" Alice asked quietly.

"She . . ." jasper began, trying to think of what to say, "She wants me to think she's not bothered at all."

"Which you know isn't true . . ." Alice added. Jasper sighed and nodded.

"She's scared."

"Of course she is," Alice said, rolling her eyes.

Jasper looked at Alice seriously. Alice was probably the only person he would ask in the house for advice, besides Carlisle, considering he was the closest to her a knew she wouldn't judge him for anything. "What do I do?"

Alice rolled her eyes again and stood up, walking over to a shelf and looking at the different things Jasper had placed on it. "Well, you _can_ control her emotions."

Jasper shook his head. "Yes, but what happens when I can't be around her, like when we go to separate to go to class . . . The anxiety will just come back. Maybe even stronger."

"Okay . . ." Alice said, thinking and facing him with one hand on her hip. "Well, what would you do to comfort _me_?"

Jasper studied her face for a moment before answering. "I don't know . . . give you a hug?" Jasper saw Alice's face and cut her off before she could suggest it. "Alice, I can't. I could lose control and bite her."

Alice smiled and sat back down next to Jasper, but flung her legs over his lap and laid down. She sighed and propped her head up. "It's not like her blood is going to be pouring out. It would just be the same as when you have to be sitting in the car with her." Jasper raised his eyebrow and looked at Alice skeptically. She groaned and lay back down. "A hug is the least you could do. I think she's getting to the point where she wouldn't mind you taking a bite or two." Alice grinned.

Jasper rolled his eyes. "It's not funny, Alice," he said, though he couldn't stop a small smile.

-.-.-.-.-

School was nothing particularly special for Anouk. Her English teacher had agreed to give her an extension, though her grade would suffer a little. She could deal with that. Her classes seemed to go by extra slowly today, and Anouk couldn't wait for lunch so that she could take a break from pretending to listen to her teachers droning on and on about nothing important.

When the bell rang, Anouk sighed, and made her way to he cafeteria. When she arrived, it was already almost completely full, which was to be expected considering her class was the farthest away from the cafeteria as it could be.

She stood in the doorway for a moment, watching everyone buzz about, before making her way to her usual table to meet Georgina and the rest. She smiled at them, though all of them were looking at their trays of food, silently. Anouk shook it off, and went to pull out the only empty chair at the table, next to Georgina.

Georgina, however, propped her feet on the seat so that Anouk couldn't sit there. They locked eyes. "Sorry, that seat's taken," Georgina said sweetly, though there was a bite to her tone.

Anouk's mouth twitched into a confused smile and narrowed her eyes at Georgina. "For whom?" Anouk asked.

"For someone who isn't you." All the sweetness was gone from her voice now, and she was looking at Anouk with a frown.

Anouk glanced over to the Cullen's' table, and locked eyes with Jasper. She could feel the shocked expression on her face. She looked back at Georgina. "What's your problem?" she asked lowly.

"I would ask you the same thing, but you're to good to tell us about it, anyway, right?" Georgina said, icily, staring at Anouk with a small smirk. Anouk's mouth hung open at her rudeness.

"What are you talking about?" she said, astonished at her friend's behavior. Everyone else at the table was watching the conversation between the two.

" 'Oh, there's _nothing_ going on between me and Jasper,'" Georgina said, pretending to be Anouk. She glared at Anouk and chuckled darkly. "Yeah, right."

Anouk looked at her friend with wide eyes, desperate to defend herself. "When you asked, there wasn't," Anouk said, looking at only Georgina. "I don't see how that's any of your business, anyhow."

Georgina leaned forward towards Anouk and said quietly so that just she could hear, "Was there something going on when you went out with Jared on Saturday?"

Anouk frowned and looked at Jasper again. Now Alice and Emmett were watching as well. Anouk shook her head slightly and folded her arms across her chest.

"Why didn't you tell us, Anouk?" Jessica said, hurt.

"Yeah," agreed the others.

Anouk opened her mouth, but Georgina spoke first. "Like I said, it's because she thinks she's too good to tell us common folk about her life, divine as it is."

Every word that came out of Georgina's mouth was dripping was sarcasm, and she smirked, satisfied, at Anouk. "That's not true," was the only thing Anouk could say. She couldn't believe the way they, _her friends_, were acting. She looked at them pleadingly, but all of them were picking at their food or at something in their lap, except, of course, Georgina who was smiling satisfied at Anouk. Anouk was sure she felt her face heat up in an instant, and was positive they she had turned red now, though she tried to seem calm. "You guys have been my friends for years. Why—"

"If we were really your friends, then why wouldn't you tell us?" Jessica said, looking hurt. Anouk was outraged that everyone would be so stupid as to listen to Georgina, but Anouk didn't say anything.

Anouk stood and looked at the faces of each of her friends, silently. None of them spoke and only a couple dared to make eye contact. How could they treat her like this when Anouk has always been so nice to them? She scoffed. She _was_ better than them. She would never behave so childishly because Anouk didn't tell them something. She knew it was just Georgina and her jealousy, trying to make herself feel a little better than Anouk by convincing everyone to hate her.

With that final thought she smiled tightly at Georgina, who smirked and raised an eyebrow, and walked away. She walked right passed the Cullen's table, only glancing at Jasper, and outside towards the trees. When she was about twenty feet away she threw her folder angrily, causing all the papers inside to fly about.

"Anouk?" Anouk turned to Jasper, smiling in spite of herself. She rolled her eyes and shook her head as she thought about what had just happened again.

"I can't believe her! Can you believe her?!" she said, flushing with anger.

"She's jealous," he said picking up some papers off the ground.

"As if I didn't know that," Anouk snapped before sighing and kneeling to the wet ground to pick up the rest of her papers. She stood at the same time Jasper did, and he handed her the papers he had collected. She offered him a small smile. She took a deep breath before turning in the opposite direction and head towards the trees surrounding the school.

"Anouk . . . school's _that_ way," Jasper said, amused. Anouk looked over her shoulder at him and smiled mischievously. She motioned for him to join her. Shaking his head in amusement, he obliged.

Together they walked into the woods, silently, deeper and deeper until Anouk stopped in front of a large tree with many branches. Without a word, she hoisted herself up into the tree. Jasper followed just as silently, though he was much more smooth with the movement than Anouk was.

The climbed up several branches, until Anouk seemed to find a comfortable spot to sit, and Jasper sat down on the branch next to her. He sensed her aggravation.

"Just forget about Georgina," he said, finally breaking the silence. Anouk sighed at looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"We've been friends since fifth grade," she said skeptically. Jasper shrugged. Anouk bit her lip and looked away. "You know, it's not like I ever _really_ fit in with them anyway. They were just there, you know . . . so we started hanging out . . . and then got to calling each other 'friends'. But . . . I mean, we aren't that close . . . well, we couldn't be, could we? considering I wasn't comfortable even telling them that you and me were, you know, 'hanging out'." Jasper nodded in agreement. "And I mean," she continued, trying to find ways to make this 'disagreement' with her 'friends' seem like no big deal, "obviously they aren't _really_ good friends, for them to just believe something like that, and listen to Georgina, or whatever. And Georgina just gets _so_ jealous of _everything. _It's annoying."

She sighed again, and smiled at Jasper. "I'm better off without them, huh?"

Jasper smiled encouragingly. He didn't want to agree with her completely, just in case her friends _did _come to their senses and apologize.

Silence settled over the two again. Jasper half wondered why Anouk wasn't afraid, coming into the woods, but he didn't want to bring it up. She was obviously distracted.

They heard the school bell ring for lunch to end, and they decided that they should probably head back so that they weren't late. Together they walked back through the trees and into the school, casting side-glances at each other the whole way.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Everything was a blur except one spot on the wall as Anouk turned and turned and turned. She felt someone grab her waist firmly, and she stopped turning before bending her knees and lifting into the air above her partner's head. Her back arched and her arms hung limply, yet gracefully above her head. In another second, her feet were firmly back on the ground. Her toes barely had a millisecond's rest, though, before she was back on Pointe, one leg up in an attitude position.

"Okay, good job, Anouk," Madame Rose said and Anouk and her partner relaxed. "Why don't you take a break, hmm?"

Anouk took a breath and nodded, walking towards the wall to sit down. There were a lot of people at the studio today, because Madame Rose's friends from a studio in Seattle had come to teach a couple classes. Anouk was excited; very rarely was she able to work with a partner because there were very few guys in Forks that were interested in ballet.

One look from Georgina across the room was enough to transform all that excitement into anger. She sipped water out of a plastic water bottle. Georgina and her glared at each other, before Georgina smirked and kept dancing.

"Anouk," a voice said softly from beside her. Anouk turned to look at the speaker, her instructor, Madame Rose was watching her with a kind smile, yet worried eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Yes. Fine, why?" Anouk asked, trying to sound pleasant. "Aren't I doing alright?" she added, slightly disappointed.

"Oh, yes, yes," Madame Rose said quickly, "You're doing great, Anouk, really terrific, as always! It's just . . ." she paused and Anouk blinked a couple times. "Well, you aren't putting as much emotion into it as before . . . I don't see the same passion that I usually do."

Madame Rose was old, but she looked very good for her age. Though she had wrinkles, her grey eyes twinkled and she had a bright smile. She could be strict though, when she wanted. Her thin frame didn't make her look fragile in the least; in fact, her muscle was clearly evident, though not outstanding. Her graying hair was always pulled up tightly into a bun, without a single stray hair out of place, unlike Anouk's, in which case she had strands falling about her face and pieces sticking out of her bun.

"Don't you enjoy dancing anymore?" Madame Rose asked sadly.

Anouk straightened up. "Of course I do, Madame!" she assured. "It's only that I've had a long day. A long couple of days, actually . . ."

"Maybe you should just go home for the night . . . relax a bit?"

Anouk sighed and glanced at Georgina, who was spinning perfectly in a pirouette. Madame Rose wasn't going to ask _her_ to leave, and Anouk felt as if she had to stay and prove to Georgina that she was still better than her.

While Anouk watched Georgina, Madame Rose spoke again. "Listen, I wouldn't have said anything, usually. But Julliard is offering a summer semester there for a select group of prospective students. It's under a full scholarship, and would almost guarantee you an acceptance to the school next year. I have hopes that you would be selected . . . I hope you don't mind that I took the initiative to suggest your name as well as several other students of mine."

Anouk looked at her teacher with wide eyes. Madame Rose watched her, waiting for a response. Anouk shook herself out of the shock. "No, I don't mind . . ." she said slowly.

"Are you interested?"

"Of course!" Anouk answered quickly. She grinned at her teacher. "Who else is up for it?"

"Georgina and Helena." Anouk felt her smile falter at the mention of Georgina, but she quickly replaced it. "People are going to come to see who should be accepted . . . I'll let you know when. But for now, why don't you head home and rest."

Anouk really didn't want to leave now. She wanted to practice and practice until she was guaranteed that spot. Or at least beat Georgina to it. But she knew better than to ignore her instructor's wishes. She nodded and reached down to her feet, untying and slipping off her shoes before replacing them with boots, and, not bothering to change her clothes, walked out of the studio and to her house where she plopped into her bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

**~.~.~.~.~**

** : A couple things. Firstly, I agree that a lot of romances rush into the relationships, and I was definitely trying to avoid that! I am glad I succeeded so far. Secondly, trust me, it won't be like Twilight. That was something I was trying to avoid too; writing the same story with different names. As for the name Anouk . . . Well, Anouk is a French name . . . and Anouk is French, which hasn't really been mentioned in the story yet, but will be, and I have always liked the name and thought is was beautiful and, like you said, different. I suppose I chose it because I wanted her to stand out in subtle ways . . . after all, one must stand out to attract a vampire, right? But mostly I just liked the name :)**

**diehardTWIhard: I'm glad you like the story! I think long chapters will be the death of me . . . I always write so much and put so much detail, I actually have to cut the chapters' length down a bit!**

**Caleb's babe: I am glad you picked up on the tension : ) it was the effect I was going for.**


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